Andy Burnham wants to deepen the UK’s ties with the EU. (Image: Getty)
Britain cannot rejoin the European Union without having freedom of movement between the UK and the EU, Brussels’ former chief Brexit negotiator has warned. Michel Barnier warned the UK there will be “no cherry picking” for the UK.
When asked on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg whether Britain could rejoin the single market without having unlimited immigration backwards and forwards, Michel Barnier said: “There is no cherry picking. There will be no possibility to have one freedom and not the other.
“The four freedoms (of goods, movement of people, services and capital) are clearly the four conditions to be inside the single market.”
He said there would be no fee simply to rejoin, but added: “There will be the usual contribution of any member state to the European budget.”
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Mr Barnier said he thinks the £5 billion annual rebate Margaret Thatcher had negotiated on paying into the EU’s central budget would be “off the table” in any future agreement.
He said: “We are speaking of a new situation, and it cannot be exactly as the past situation before Brexit.
The Prime Minister is due to sign a series of deals with the EU on November 20 in Brussels.
They will be focused on bringing down post-Brexit trade barriers on food and farming, as well as working more closely on emissions trading, and making it easier for young people from the UK to work, live and study in Europe and vice versa.
But he has suggested he wants to deepen ties with Europe further in the aftermath of the summit.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has acknowledged there will be “trade-offs” for Britain as it seeks to get closer to the EU again.
She was asked by Ms Kuenssberg whether it was true there would be a 150,000 cap on the number of Europeans who could come to Britain under a youth mobility scheme, and whether this would be acceptable to her constituents.
Mrs Nandy, who represents the leave-voting Wigan constituency, said: “Well, we’ll have those conversations with our European counterparts, but we’ll also have those conversations too with the British people, because it is right to say that there are costs as well as benefits to a closer relationship with the European Union.
“There are trade-offs to be made, and we can’t cut people out of that conversation.”
Ms Nandy also suggested she is not in favour of rejoining the trade bloc, telling the BBC: “The only thing that I think the British people are absolutely united on right now is that we left the European Union a decade ago with the promise of a close Brexit deal and the promise of benefits from that deal, and most of those have not been realised.
“It’s not working for people across this country, and we’ve got to do better.”
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Michel Barnier Reveals Four Conditions for UK Rejoining EU – Including £5bn Bombshell
Britain’s hopes of rejoining the European Union could come with a significant financial and political price, following a stark warning from former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. His latest comments have reignited the debate over Britain’s future relationship with Brussels, with particular attention focused on freedom of movement, financial contributions and the conditions the UK would have to accept before returning to the bloc.
The intervention comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham considers how far Britain should go in rebuilding its relationship with Europe. Although he has suggested that rejoining the EU could eventually be an option for the British public, Barnier has made clear that the country cannot expect to return on exactly the same terms it enjoyed before Brexit.
One of the biggest concerns is the potential loss of Britain’s £5 billion annual budget rebate, originally secured by Margaret Thatcher in 1984. Without that special arrangement, the financial implications of EU membership could be considerably different.
For British taxpayers, businesses and politicians, the warning raises an important question: would the economic benefits of returning to Europe justify the additional financial and political commitments?
Barnier Sends a Clear Message to Britain
Michel Barnier, who served as the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator between 2016 and 2021, has explained that Britain’s path back into the EU would require serious compromises.
Speaking in interviews with British broadcasters, he said the door remained open to Britain returning to the European Union.
He also suggested that negotiations could be quicker than the complicated process involved in Britain’s departure because many existing relationships and agreements between the UK and EU remain in place.
However, he warned that Britain would not be allowed to select only the advantages it wanted while rejecting fundamental European obligations.
His message was particularly clear on the single market.
According to Barnier, the four freedoms of movement involving goods, people, services and capital are inseparable. Britain could not demand access to the single market while refusing to accept freedom of movement.
This position presents a significant political challenge for Burnham, particularly because immigration remains one of the most sensitive subjects in British politics.
The Four Major Conditions Britain Would Face
Barnier’s comments highlight four fundamental areas that Britain would need to address if it pursued closer integration or full EU membership.
1. Freedom of movement
The first and potentially most controversial condition concerns the movement of people.
Rejoining the single market would require Britain to accept the principle of freedom of movement alongside the other three freedoms.
This would mean EU citizens could once again benefit from rights to live and work in Britain under the relevant European arrangements, while British citizens would gain corresponding opportunities across EU countries.
For businesses, this could improve access to workers and professional opportunities.
However, critics would argue that restoring freedom of movement would represent a major reversal of one of the central objectives of Brexit.
2. Accepting the four freedoms of the single market
Barnier has stressed that there can be no cherry-picking.
The four freedoms cover the movement of goods, people, services and capital.
This means Britain could not simply negotiate favourable arrangements for exporters and financial companies while excluding the movement of people.
For British politicians seeking a closer relationship without reopening the immigration debate, this could become one of the most difficult obstacles.
3. Financial contributions to the European budget
The third condition concerns money.
Britain would be expected to contribute to the EU’s central budget as a member state.
Barnier indicated that there would be no separate re-entry fee simply for returning to the bloc. However, the UK would have to make the normal financial contributions required of member countries.
The amount would depend on the agreed financial arrangements and applicable budget calculations.
4. Losing the historic £5bn rebate
Perhaps the biggest financial controversy concerns the special rebate negotiated by Margaret Thatcher in 1984.
The arrangement reduced Britain’s net contribution to the European budget by returning a substantial proportion of the difference between what the country paid and what it received.
The rebate was worth approximately £5.2 billion in 2020, the final full year of the UK’s effective EU budget contributions.
Barnier has suggested that the historic arrangement would not be available if Britain rejoined.
Former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has expressed a similar view, arguing that the circumstances surrounding Thatcher’s agreement were specific to that period and that securing the same arrangement again would be extremely difficult.
For British taxpayers, losing the rebate could become one of the most important financial issues in any future membership negotiations.
Why the £5bn Rebate Matters
The rebate was originally secured because Margaret Thatcher believed Britain was contributing disproportionately to the European budget compared with the funding it received.
Her famous negotiations eventually established a mechanism that became a defining feature of Britain’s relationship with the EU.
Losing that arrangement would mean the UK returning under potentially less favourable financial conditions than those it previously enjoyed.
However, the £5.2 billion figure should be understood in its historical context. It represents the value of the rebate in 2020, not a confirmed annual cost that Britain would automatically pay if it rejoined today.
The actual financial contribution would depend on future negotiations, the EU’s budget framework and the UK’s economic position.
Nevertheless, the possibility of losing the rebate is likely to become an important part of any domestic political debate about membership.
Could Britain Rejoin Without Adopting the Euro?
There is one potentially important exception.
Barnier has indicated that Britain could potentially negotiate a return without being required to adopt the euro immediately.
He has suggested that there may be room for discussions about monetary arrangements, although the precise legal and political conditions would need to be settled.
This is significant because the UK previously maintained an exemption from adopting the single European currency.
However, the possibility of retaining flexibility over the euro does not mean Britain could negotiate exemptions from every European obligation.
Freedom of movement remains a different matter because the EU regards its four freedoms as fundamental to the single market.
The distinction is important for British politicians attempting to understand what a realistic return to membership might involve.
Andy Burnham Faces a Difficult Political Choice
For Andy Burnham, Barnier’s intervention creates another challenge in the debate over Britain’s future relationship with Europe.
The Prime Minister has argued that closer cooperation with the EU could help reduce trade barriers, improve economic opportunities and strengthen Britain’s international position.
He has also said that the British public should ultimately decide the country’s long-term direction.
However, Burnham has committed to maintaining his predecessor’s political red lines during the current parliamentary term, ruling out major moves towards the single market, customs union and freedom of movement.
This means that discussions about full membership remain a longer-term political question rather than an immediate government policy.
The challenge will be explaining the possible advantages of closer European integration while being honest about the compromises involved.
What Would British Voters Think?
Public opinion will play a decisive role in determining whether Britain ever seeks to return to the European Union.
Some voters believe Brexit has damaged the economy and that closer European relations could improve trade, investment and employment opportunities.
Others remain concerned that rejoining would undermine national sovereignty and restore immigration arrangements that they voted to change in 2016.
The financial implications could also influence public attitudes.
If returning to the EU meant losing the historic rebate and accepting larger budget commitments, politicians would need to explain how those costs compared with the potential economic benefits.
Equally, supporters of membership would argue that the economic consequences of remaining outside the single market should also be considered.
A serious national debate would therefore need to examine both sides rather than focusing exclusively on the headline financial figures.
Conclusion: The Price of Returning to Europe Could Be High
Michel Barnier’s latest comments have provided an important reminder that Britain’s return to the European Union would not simply involve reversing Brexit.
It would require negotiations over freedom of movement, the four freedoms of the single market, financial contributions and the possibility of losing the historic £5 billion rebate.
Although Barnier believes the door remains open, he has made clear that Britain cannot expect to choose only the parts of European membership that suit its political preferences.
For Andy Burnham, the challenge is to determine how far Britain should go in rebuilding its relationship with Europe while ensuring that voters understand the potential consequences.
The debate is likely to become increasingly important as the government explores closer cooperation with Brussels.
Ultimately, the question is not simply whether Britain could rejoin the European Union. It is whether British voters would accept the financial and political conditions that might come with returning.
One thing is clear: the road back to Brussels would involve difficult negotiations, significant compromises and decisions that could shape Britain’s future for generations.