France Invites Britain Back to the EU as New Brexit Vote Is Floated
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has invited the United Kingdom to "come all the way back" to the European Union.
Speaking to the BBC, Lescure said "come back, anytime." He said Britain should rejoin so both sides can face emerging global threats together, according to reporting published on Oct. 8, 2026 The Guardian. The BBC also reported the invitation under the headline "'Come all the way' back to EU, French finance minister tells UK" BBC.
The invitation followed Prime Minister Andy Burnham raising the prospect of a new referendum to reverse Brexit. In his Labour conference speech, Burnham pledged to explore closer ties with the EU at a summit later in 2026. He said Brexit had caused "more harm than good."
Burnham framed the review as a spectrum rather than a single decision. The options he listed were keeping current arrangements, seeking a customs union, returning to the single market, or full EU membership. A customs union mainly covers goods and shared tariffs on imports from outside. The single market is wider and adds services, investment, free movement of workers and shared rules. He said ministers would examine "what is doable" and the "pros and cons" of each The Guardian.
That language builds on an interview released on Sept. 30, 2026, in which Burnham said Britain should consider options for its future relationship with the EU, including rejoining Reuters. He said the United Kingdom could "go all the way" and rejoin the bloc. That wording was examined in a Reuters Breakingviews commentary titled "A roadmap for Andy Burnham to reverse Brexit" Reuters Breakingviews.
Burnham was travelling to Germany for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The two leaders were expected to agree a deal for closer security cooperation against cyber-attacks on European countries.
On trade, British government sources warned the "EU reset" summit would be delayed again unless the bloc agreed to discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU industry. Asked about those concerns over EU rules for European manufacturers, Lescure replied: "Come back, and you'll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together."
In Britain, Nigel Farage claimed Burnham had given him "the biggest boost in my career" by reviving the Brexit debate.
The broader context here is what each option would involve in practice. A customs union addresses goods and common external tariffs, like paying the same cover charge at the door. Single market return adds services, capital, labour mobility and shared courts. Full membership restores voting rights and obligations. Lescure set that step-by-step distinction aside and made a direct offer of membership, where Britain would help write the rules.
Looking at what this means for reset diplomacy, Paris and Berlin are playing complementary roles. The Berlin track centers on security cooperation, where agreement appears closest. The Paris intervention links market-access complaints to institutional membership. That frames the delayed reset summit less as a timetable dispute and more as a choice over which framework should settle trade disputes.
In my view, the referendum prospect changes the calculation for both sides even before any vote is scheduled. For London, it creates negotiating space but also domestic volatility, as the Farage response indicates. For the EU, a public invitation to return tests unanimity in practice, since any return path would require agreement across capitals and institutions, not only Paris. The next signal to watch is whether the summit later in 2026 proceeds on the current reset agenda or becomes a scoping exercise for one of the more integrative options Burnham listed.
