UK should rejoin EU – and Burnham ought to put pledge in next manifesto, Scottish Labour leader says

The UK should rejoin the European Union and Labour should commit to going back into the bloc at the next general election, the party’s new leader in Scotland has said.

Michael Marra said he had written to Andy Burnham backing rejoin and telling him “he will have my personal support and that of the Scottish Labour Party in ensuring it is included in the next UK manifesto”.

In a speech in Edinburgh, he added that he wanted “solidarity, not separation” to boost the economy, bring down prices and generate more money for public services.

His intervention will put pressure on Mr Burnham to go all the way after the prime minister did not rule out comitting to rejoin in his party’s manifesto and told ministers to “explore options” for a new long-term relationship.

Public support for rejoining the EU is at its highest level since the Brexit vote, at 61 per cent according to leading pollster, professor Sir John Curtice.

Nick Bloom, a professor at Stanford University, has also estimated that up to 8 per cent of GDP has been wiped off the UK economy through lost trade, increased red tape and delays in pushing the Brexit deal through.

Mr Marra acknowledged there would be “serious questions” over issues such as currency and borders before the UK could go back into the EU.

But he said that “difficult is not the same as impossible”.

Breaking down barriers with close neighbours would “help Scottish businesses grow, attract investment and create better-paid jobs,” he said. It could also “help bring down prices and generate more money for our public services.”

Rejoining the EU “won’t solve every problem we have”, he said, adding: “If we’re serious about growth, we cannot keep ignoring the opportunity on our doorstep.”

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He declared: “The UK should rejoin the European Union and Scottish Labour will work to make that happen.”

He added: “Rejoining the EU is not the current policy of the UK Labour Party and not the current policy of the UK Government.

“The UK Labour Party isn’t there yet. This is a distinct Scottish Labour position.”But he said that Labour could “build a case” for rejoining “through honest deliberation and careful compromise”.

While the SNP want to see an independent Scotland join the European Union, Mr Marra also claimed “the truth is that Scotland’s best chance for re-entering the EU is by the UK rejoining”.

Mr Marra plans to stage a summit in Scotland next year, which will bring together businesses, trade unions, universities, young people and civil society, to “develop the case” for rejoining the EU.

He refused to say if another referendum on EU membership would have to be held for Britain to rejoin, saying the focus of his speech was on “the destination, and not just that mechanism”.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown MSP said it was “good that Scottish Labour has finally accepted the obvious fact – that the UK ripping Scotland out of the EU against our will has been a disaster”.

As prime minister Andy Burnham looks at the way ahead for Britain's relationship with Europe, The Independent has been leading the charge, campaigning to secure the absolute best deal for Britain. Become an Independent member for just £1 for six months and join a like-minded community of thousands signed up to our Europe: The Way Back campaign.

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