Britain cannot effectively address geopolitical crises, including Russian aggression and political turmoil in the US, without rejoining the EU, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The influential thinktank, which has ties to the Labour party, has become the latest organisation to advocate for the UK to re-enter the bloc.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, the IPPR’s executive director, said that while the government has made progress in repairing relations with Europe, a series of individual deals would not be enough. He stated that EU membership is the best option for the UK's relationship with Europe, suggesting that work should begin to move towards this goal by building political support both domestically and in Europe.
The IPPR argues that the position of former prime minister Keir Starmer, which seeks closer ties without rejoining the single market or the bloc, disadvantages the UK amid global changes. The paper suggests that Russian expansionism, US unreliability, and increased assertiveness from Beijing necessitate the UK reinforcing its power by joining other European nations rather than acting alone. It states: “Sovereignty without the ability to act on it is not autonomy; hedging between larger powers is, at best, a strategy for survival rather than for success.”
The thinktank's paper also cites new polling indicating that 52% of voters support re-entering the union, while 29% oppose it. Voters were reportedly attracted by the prospect of shorter queues at passport control, which ranked higher than economic benefits or the chance to live and work in the EU as potential advantages of membership. However, the polling also showed that aggressive messaging on migration, specifically the claim that rejoining would “open the floodgates” to more migrants, caused support to fall from 52% to 47%.
This report follows a similar paper from the Tony Blair Institute and comes weeks after Andy Burnham expressed a desire to examine all possible options regarding Britain's EU policy.