Macron says ‘welcome back’ to Burnham suggestion UK could rejoin EU
French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have expressed openness to the UK rejoining the European Union. Their comments follow suggestions by British politician Andy Burnham that Brexit has caused more harm than good.
Why it matters
The statements signal a potential shift in the diplomatic discourse surrounding the UK's long-term relationship with the EU.
France's Macron says UK could rejoin the EU European Union Macron says ‘welcome back’ to Burnham suggestion UK could rejoin EU French president, speaking alongside Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, says EU bid would be good news for UK and Europeans
Prefer the Guardian on Google The French president, Emmanuel Macron , has reacted warmly to Andy Burnham’s suggestion that the UK could rejoin the EU.
“Welcome back,” the French leader said in English with a smile at a news conference in Madrid on Wednesday. Macron continued in French: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans.”
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez , said his country would open its arms to any bid from the UK to rejoin the EU.
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