Tony Blair Urges Labour to Commit to Rejoining EU Within a Decade

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on the Labour Party to commit to rejoining the European Union within the next ten years, urging current leader Andy Burnham to abandon existing red lines and pursue a new "formal relationship" with Brussels.

In a report published by his think tank, Blair stated that the party should make it clear "we want back into a formal relationship with the EU." He emphasized that the political landscape of 2026 differs significantly from 2016, necessitating a fresh approach that acknowledges global changes and frames the future relationship with Europe not as a reversal of Brexit, but as an opportunity to forge a modern partnership. Blair suggested that Britain could use potential rejoin negotiations as a "lever" to enact reforms within the EU.

Blair also indicated that a simple return to the single market or customs union would not suffice, and that any rejoin effort should be contingent on the bloc undergoing reforms. He articulated a vision for "a Europe of nation states, a Europe capable of being a genuine global power." Otherwise, he suggested, Britain should continue cooperating with the EU where mutually beneficial, while maintaining its independence.

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood criticized the stance, stating, "Andy Burnham has left the door open to rejoining the EU and now Tony Blair is piling the pressure on him to drag us back into the bloc." Wood added, "Labour should stop trying to turn back the clock and instead focus on setting out serious proposals for the future."

This position represents a shift for Blair, who earlier this year suggested that the UK was "too weak" to discuss rejoining the EU and that "reversing [Brexit] isn't the answer to the country's far worse situation in 2026." The new report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), titled "Beyond Leave and Remain: A Path to Rejoining a Reformed Europe," advocates for Prime Minister Burnham to make rejoining the EU a central commitment of the government's upcoming ten-year plan.

The report suggests that Britain should be prepared to "put freedom of movement on the table" and calls for immediate collaboration with Brussels on areas such as AI, cyber-resilience, defense, and energy. It proposes turning the North Sea into a "shared energy hub" and rebuilding Europe's nuclear power capacity.

Blair's comments come as Prime Minister Burnham has previously expressed a hope to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime. This week, he did not rule out the possibility of including a commitment to rejoin the EU in the next Labour manifesto, describing it as an issue "for another day" while expressing a desire to "go to the next level" in forging a new deal with the EU to boost the British economy.