French finance minister Roland Lescure has invited Britain to “come all the way” back to the EU, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham signalled a second Brexit referendum was “possible” in a future Labour election manifesto.
Lescure said being in the bloc comes with some difficulties, but it enables members to better address the challenges facing the world.
Last week, Burnham said the UK needed to “consider the options”, ranging from staying as is, rejoining the customs union or single market, or going “all the way”.
Asked about the PM’s comments, Lescure told the BBC: “British people decided, and that’s obviously their 100% right, and if they’re willing to come back, they will have to decide.”
He added: “But what I can tell them is: come back, anytime.”
Burnham recently warned that planned EU rules to help European manufacturers would damage the UK.
The prime minister expressed concerns about how British industry and supply chains could be affected by the planned Made In Europe scheme.
The proposals aim to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies. The EU’s car industry has called for the UK to be included to prevent disruption to its own supply chains.
Asked about the possibility of Britain being kept out of the scheme, Lescure said: “Come back, and you’ll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together.”
