George Osborne says ‘Britain has basically gone off a cliff’ since Brexit
The former chancellor has called for Britain to rejoin the European Union's customs union
Former chancellor George Osborne has said Britain should rejoin the European Union’s customs union, as he believes the economy has “gone off a cliff” post Brexit.
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Mr Osborne, who resigned as David Cameron’s chancellor following the Brexit referendum, said it is vital to rebuild links with the EU.
“Brexit has been a mess,” he told the press. “Britain has basically gone off a cliff.
“It has had a huge impact on the British economy. It is clearly poorer than it would otherwise be.”
Mr Osborne acknowledged that it would be difficult to fully rejoin the EU, but said that it is “quite simple” to rejoin the customs union which would improve the UK’s ties with Europe, boosting the economy.
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Acknowledging that rejoining the EU would be difficult a decade on from the Brexit referendum, Mr Osborne said closer ties with Europe can boost the economy.
“[The customs union] was never part of the Brexit debate. No one knew we were leaving it and it has had a devastating impact on trade,” said Osborne.
“The reason we weren’t supposed to be in the customs union – according to the Brexiteers – was these great trade deals we were going to strike with America. That all looks pretty fanciful now.
“People now realise you can’t look at Britain’s growth problem without beginning to think, ‘how can we revive trade with the continent, how can we get investment?’” he told the Independent.
Mr Osborne added that being a part of the customs union will not require the UK to accept the free movement of people from Europe “which is a pretty complicated issue to sell to people in Britain at the moment.”
And said: “If I was Andy Burnham, I don’t see why you wouldn’t rejoin the customs union.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that “working alongside Europe is the key to driving a stronger Britain.” This statement was made in the context of working with the French border patrol to reduce small boat crossings.
Mr Burnham has also pointed to Brexit as a source of economic woes in the UK, labeling it as something that "ushered in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration."