Britain will return to the European Union within 15 years, a former European Commission chief has predicted, The Independent reports.
Speaking about Britain’s decision to leave the EU at the University of California Finance Centre, Romano Prodi, who served as president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004, said:
“I’m betting that in 15 years the UK will come back.”
His optimism about Britain’s return to the bloc is not shared by Jean-Claude Juncker, another former European Commission chief, who suggested in July that it would take “a century or two.”
Speaking to Politico, he said:
“When you leave a boat, you can’t get back on the same boat. In a century or two, yes.”
Sir Keir Starmer has previously insisted that the UK will not return to the EU during his lifetime. He said:
“I’ve been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union – or [allowing a] return to freedom of movement.”
But despite his insistence that the UK will not return to the bloc, the Prime Minister is attempting a “reset” with the EU, promising to “make Brexit work” by renegotiating the deal agreed by Boris Johnson and the Tories.
The Independent reported on Thursday that a new group of MPs from across the political spectrum had been formed to urge the prime minister to renegotiate the UK-EU relationship.
The new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Europe, chaired by Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan and Tory peer Lord Kirkhope, held its first meeting on Tuesday. The group, which aims to “identify areas of mutual co-operation and interest” and examine the UK’s relationship with the EU, held its first meeting on Tuesday.
Sir Keir made the first major breakthrough in his grand Brexit reset this week with a landmark new defence agreement with Germany. The Prime Minister has struck a deal with the EU’s most influential and powerful member state.
Under the plans, German planes from the Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force, will operate from a base in the UK, while a new munitions factory in the UK will create around 400 jobs.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the agreement represented a “significant enhancement of European security” and was a “landmark moment” in the UK’s relationship with Germany.
However, the Prime Minister was urged to go further in strengthening the UK’s relationship with the EU and utilise other areas of co-operation.
Sir Nick Harvey, former armed forces minister and chief executive of the pro-EU group European Movement, called the deal “great news for the UK, our defence and industry. Germany is a crucial partner.” But he added:
“Keir Starmer and his new government should now follow through and take their reset in UK-EU relations into all the other major challenges we face together”.
