In a referendum held in 2016, Britain voted by a small margin to exit the European Union. As expected, the move lowered trade growth and trade turnover. As external demand slipped, so did production. Unemployment rose. Britain’s GDP took a big hit.

A decade later, Britons have realised Brexit was a mistake. Recent opinion polls indicate that if a plebiscite were held today, Britons would vote decisively in favour of reintegration with the EU.

Two years ago, Britain’s Labour party swept to power with a landslide. Their prime minister, Keir Starmer, sensed his people’s desire to reintegrate, but Labour’s election manifesto had ruled this out. It was a pledge Starmer couldn’t dishonour, but he smoothened trade with the EU for some essential goods.

His successor, Andy Burnham, has been more forthright about the need for Britain to close ranks with the EU. This week, in a speech in the House of Commons—Britain’s Lok Sabha—he confirmed there will be a........

© National Herald