MPs to Debate Rejoining the EU on Monday, After 111,687 People Sign a Petition

More than 111,000 people signed a petition, and now the House of Commons has to talk about it. On Monday, MPs will debate whether the UK should apply to rejoin the European Union, in Westminster Hall, led by Labour MP Tony Vaughan.

The debate is the result of e-petition 749128, which closed on 8 June with 111,687 signatures. It asks the UK to rejoin as soon as possible, citing the official forecaster OBR, which expects the economy to end up 4 percent smaller in the long run than if the UK had stayed in. Such debates end without a vote.

Burnham opens the door

The timing is awkward for the government. In January, under Keir Starmer, it answered the petition bluntly: the UK "will not be rejoining the EU". Since then Starmer has resigned and Burnham took over in July. At the Labour conference on 29 September, Burnham said Brexit had "done more harm than good" and that he would lay out the options for a long-term relationship: a customs union, the single market, or going "all the way".

He has not backed rejoining, and he has ruled out an early referendum.

“wouldn't be the right thing to do right now”

— Andy Burnham, Prime Minister, on a referendum to rejoin the EU (interviews of 30 September, via Commons Library)

But he added that "things are possible" in a future Labour manifesto. Emmanuel Macron said it would be "very good news" if Britain wanted to return, and Spain's Pedro Sánchez said he would welcome it "with open arms".

The right is furious

Reform UK and the Conservatives are on the attack. Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart says a future Tory government would "rip up" whatever is agreed at the UK-EU summit, reportedly pencilled in for 20 November. Reform's Richard Tice put it this way:

“trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door”

— Richard Tice, Reform UK deputy leader, on the Prime Minister (via Commons Library)

@BasilTheGreat, whose post is the source of this Signal, flagged the debate as breaking news on Friday evening. The Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru back closer ties or full membership.