Documents from the meeting indicate that joining the EU is not on the agenda, but stress that the bloc and Britain share common interests.
Representatives of Britain's ruling Conservative Party and the opposition Labor Party held an “emergency” secret meeting where they discussed the consequences of Brexit and ways to get closer to the EU, but not reunification with the bloc. This is reported by The Guardian.
The 'emergency cross-party summit', which brought together top leaders from both parties, including the Conservatives' Michael Gove and senior members of Labour's Keir Starmer's 'shadow cabinet', was held under strict secrecy to discuss the failings of Brexit and how to fix them in the national interest .
A two-day meeting of some of the most senior politicians from both sides of the Brexit debate, as well as diplomats, defense experts and the heads of major companies and banks took place at the Ditchley Park residence in Oxfordshire on February 9-10.< /p>
Documents from the meeting, obtained by The Guardian, describe it as a “private discussion” under the heading: “How can we make Brexit work better with our neighbors in Europe?”.
Brexit supporters included former Tory leader Michael Howard, former Tory chancellor Norman Lamont and former Europe minister Gisela Stewart.
Prominent anti-Brexit politicians in attendance included shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, shadow defense secretary John Healy and former EU commissioner and Labor cabinet minister Peter Mandelson, who chaired the meeting. From the Tory camp, the former cabinet minister and long-time minister for European affairs, David Lidington, was present.
Among the participants of the meeting were also John Symonds – the chairman of the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Oliver Robbins – the managing director of Goldman Sachs and the former chief negotiator with of Brexit issues in the government from 2017 to 2019, Tom Sholar is a former permanent secretary of the Treasury and Angus Lapsley is NATO's assistant secretary general for defense policy and planning.
A confidential opening statement to the meeting acknowledged that there is now a view among “at least some” that the UK has not yet found its way forward outside the EU, and that Brexit is “holding back growth and stifling the UK's potential”.
A source who was present at the meeting said it was a “constructive meeting” where the challenges and opportunities of Brexit were discussed, but the main focus was on the negative consequences for the UK economy amid global instability and rising energy prices.
“The main emphasis was on the fact that Britain is losing, that Brexit is not working, that our economy is in a weak position. It was about going from 'Leave' to 'Remain' and what the challenges are before us now and how we can best position ourselves to have a conversation with the EU about changes to the trade and cooperation agreement between Great Britain and the EU, when will this happen?“, the source noted.
Gove, who led the campaign to leave the EU with Boris Johnson in 2016, opened an informal conversation. The publication's source also said that he was very “honest” about the shortcomings of Brexit, but at the same time believed that it would be the right decision in the long run.
The summit documents say that while on the European side “there is little interest in further Brexit disputes and little time for relations with the UK… there is also a clear European and British strategic interest in a productive and closer relationship”.< /p>
Declaring that “joining the EU will not be on the agenda”, the summit documents nevertheless stressed that the EU and the UK “share common interests in deterring Russian aggression, developing new energy sources and creating large technology companies with a capital base on our side of the Atlantic, not just in the US,” as well as shared defense interests.
The meeting also raised the issue of establishing closer ties with the EU in the fight against organized crime, illegal migration, as well as the possibility of a joint EU-London policy towards China.
The unresolved issue of the protocol regarding Northern Ireland is the main topic , linked to Great Britain, which is currently troubling EU officials in Brussels, was also central to the talks.
The unusual cross-party nature of the gathering reflects growing recognition among politicians from the two main parties, as well as business leaders and civil servants, that Brexit as it stands is damaging the UK economy and reducing its strategic influence in the world.
In There is growing concern at the top of the Labor Party that this poses a real threat to the success of any future Labor government unless issues such as escalating trade disputes are addressed.
The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that Brexit will reduce Britain's GDP per capita by 4% over 15 years from 2016.
Essentially calling for a cross-party consensus on Brexit, the summit documents pointed to the need to move from “the current mixture of antagonism and nostalgia to excitement about what the future may bring for Britain and Europe”. It also notes that the search for solutions is even more urgent due to global unrest, supply chain instability and inflation.
Read also: Bloomberg: Britain and the EU are moving closer to a tentative agreement on Northern Ireland after Brexit
Previously it was reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak privately approached senior ministers and officials with a request to develop plans for restoring Great Britain's relations with the EU.
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Currently, partly under the influence of the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, British officials are preparing proposals for , how Great Britain can work more closely with EU countries in a number of policy areas.
See special topic: Brexit Rishi Sunak develops plans to restore Britain's ties with the EU – Bloomberg It is not about the disappointment of Brexit, but rather about responding to the challenges of today. Bloomberg: Britain and the EU are moving closer to a tentative deal on Northern Ireland after Brexit However, any deal will still need the approval of the political parties. The Supreme Court of Great Britain rejected the application for a referendum on Scottish independence First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has already reacted. Britain wants to host major European political summit – Politico London wants to join Europe's political community. The dispute between France and Britain is developing into a wider conflict – FT This puts the interests of the West at risk.
