French Minister Invites UK: "Come All The Way Back" To EU!

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has extended a warm invitation to the United Kingdom, urging the nation to "come all the way back" to the European Union. This comes as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham pledges to explore closer ties with the bloc, even raising the prospect of a new referendum on the matter.

Lescure's comments, made to the BBC, underscored a desire for the UK to rejoin the union to collectively address emerging global threats. He emphasized,

British people decided, and that's obviously their 100% right, and if they're willing to come back, they will have to decide. But what I can tell them is: come back, anytime.

Burnham, a prominent Labour figure, has been vocal about Brexit causing "more harm than good." He plans for the government to examine various options for Britain's future relationship with Brussels. These options range from maintaining current arrangements to seeking a customs union, rejoining the single market, or even pursuing full EU membership.

He stressed the importance of evaluating "what is doable" and weighing the "pros and cons" of each path.

In a related development, Burnham is set to travel to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Their agenda includes discussing deeper security cooperation, particularly against cyber-attacks, and will also touch upon broader UK-EU relations.

Merz's government has previously shown support for Burnham's suggestion of closer links.

However, not everyone welcomes the renewed debate. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Burnham's remarks have given him "the biggest boost in my career" by reigniting the Brexit discussion. Farage dismissed recent polls suggesting up to 59% of the public favor rejoining, arguing that such sentiment would dissipate once people are informed of the potential costs and implications, such as rejoining Schengen or committing to the Euro.

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