STORY
Sir John Major has called for Britain to rejoin the European Union’s single market within five years, arguing that the country must be honest about the economic damage caused by Brexit and the choices now required to restore growth and stability.
The former Conservative Prime Minister made the intervention in an interview with The Independent to mark the tenth anniversary of the 2016 referendum. He said the next stage of Britain’s relationship with Europe should be based on practical national interest rather than political slogans, with single market membership forming a central objective for the years ahead.
Major said that rejoining the single market would carry a price, including difficult political trade-offs, but argued that ministers should be open with the public about both the gains and the obligations. His comments presented closer European alignment not as a return to old arguments, but as a route to repairing trade links, reducing barriers for business and restoring Britain’s influence with its nearest neighbours.
The intervention is significant because Major remains one of the most experienced Conservative voices on Europe, having negotiated through difficult European debates during his own premiership. His remarks will strengthen those arguing that Britain’s economic future depends on a more constructive settlement with the EU, particularly as businesses continue to raise concerns about post-Brexit costs, paperwork and lost opportunities.
The Government has sought to improve relations with Brussels, but has previously ruled out returning to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. Major’s intervention challenges that position by arguing that a more ambitious approach is now needed, and that political leaders should make the case for closer European ties with clarity and confidence.
Supporters of closer UK-EU relations are likely to see Major’s comments as a serious and timely contribution from a former Prime Minister who has long warned about the consequences of Brexit. His call places economic realism at the centre of the debate and suggests that the question for Britain is no longer whether Brexit created problems, but how boldly the country is prepared to address them.