STORY
David Miliband has said the UK needs a national consensus on its future relationship with the European Union, following reports that the Government has proposed a single market for goods with the bloc. The former Foreign Secretary said the UK required a more substantial reset than the current approach, while accepting that the terms Britain had before Brexit were no longer available.
Miliband said the EU itself had changed significantly since the 2016 referendum, particularly because of the war in Ukraine and the question of future enlargement. He argued that the UK needed to think strategically about its long-term place in Europe, rather than treating the relationship as a narrow trade negotiation.
His comments come as Labour faces internal debate over Europe, with some figures calling for a closer economic relationship and others warning ministers not to abandon the party’s election commitments. The Government has said it will not rejoin the EU, the customs union or the full single market, but is seeking practical measures to reduce trade friction.