Keir Starmer under fresh pressure over Brexit as tens of thousands back calls to rejoin EU

Sir Keir Starmer is under fresh pressure over Brexit as a petition calling for Britain to rejoin the EU racks up tens of thousands of signatures.

MPs will almost certainly debate the call in the Commons after 36,000 voters signed the petition in just three weeks. With 100,000 signatures a petition is considered for debate in parliament, although the government must respond to it after 10,000 signatures.

The petition calls for the UK to “apply to join the EU as full members as soon as possible”, which its creator and ardent Remainer Robert McMaster said will “boost the economy, increase global influence, improve collaboration and provide stability and freedom”.

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“I believe that Brexit hasn’t brought any tangible benefit and there is no future prospect of any, that the UK has changed its mind and that this should be recognised,” Mr McMaster added.

Backing the petition, SNP MP Stephen Gethins said Labour and the Conservatives have entered an “omerta around the question of EU membership”.

He told The Independent: “It is so good to see members of the public leading the charge on ensuring that we open up the debate on rejoin.

“Leaving the EU has left us poorer, less secure and taken away opportunities from young people and small businesses alike. Every day we see the damage that is being done, damage that could easily be reversed.

“Brexit continues to have a huge impact on us all and I hope that this government will follow now by opening up a discussion and debate on our relationship with the EU, rejoining and at the very least membership of the single market and customs union.”

Mike Galsworthy, chair of the European Movement UK, said: “Everyone knows we are in a new era now, and it is time to put aside the conspiracies of silence on the obvious issues leaving the EU has caused for our country. The previous government would have shut down these conversations.

“The new government would be very unwise to do so, because as this petition shows, these conversations are already being had by the people of this country. They’re already being had by the media in this country. They need to be had in parliament too.”

But Stuart Coster, founder and director of the pro-Brexit Democracy Movement, said Remain backers are “having trouble respecting democracy”. He said: “Millions of voters in July’s general election backed parties that pledged not to hand law-making back to the EU. As with the referendum, it seems some hardline Remainers are still having trouble respecting democracy.”

Sir Keir has embarked on a reset of relations with Brussels since becoming PM, after years of acrimony under the Conservatives.

But he has disappointed anti-Brexit campaigners, firmly sticking to red lines including ruling out any return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement.

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And, since the re-election of former US president Donald Trump, he has faced growing calls to go further and faster in his reset.

In the last week, Mr Trump’s economic adviser Stephen Moore issued a warning that the UK needed to make a choice between the EU and US and would suffer from tariffs across the Atlantic unless it accepted a trade deal with Mr Trump.

Speaking as she took over as joint president of European Movement UK, the former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said: “The prospect of Donald Trump in the White House should focus minds on the importance of being guided by our values, and on urgently rebuilding our relationship with the EU as the best way to ensure economic security and climate resilience.”

Sir Keir faced questions over his talks with the EU in recent weeks after he refused to embrace Brussels’ priority of creating a new youth visa for under-30s to enable free travel for the age group.

Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden, a former member of the European parliament, said: “It’s little surprise to see this petition surge in signatures given that just 15 per cent of people think the government is handling the issue of Brexit well.

“While it’s refreshing to hear the new government talk about building closer ties with Europe, it’s time to see those words put into action.

“Creating a new Youth Mobility Scheme is a good launchpad from which we can begin addressing the area of the UK most damaged from Brexit: our economy.

“I hope this process ends with us rejoining the single market, but this can only happen once our relationship with Europe, so badly damaged by the last government, is repaired.”