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Plaid Cymru urges Starmer to rejoin single market in 2025

By Mark Mansfield
Liz Saville Roberts, MP

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts MP has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ensure that his pledged “UK-EU reset” in 2025 includes membership of the single market and customs union.

Ms Saville Roberts, whose party has consistently maintained that the UK should rejoin the world’s largest trading bloc, pointed to “growing public support for closer ties with the EU” and criticised Labour and the Tories for failing to protect the economy in the wake of Brexit.

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'Worse off'

The Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd said: “The average UK resident was nearly £2,000 worse off in 2023 as a result of Brexit.

“It is little wonder then that there is growing public support for closer ties with the EU – the world’s largest trading bloc.

“Since becoming Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has said that he will “reset” post-Brexit relations with the European Union.

“42% of all UK exports and 52% of all UK imports were with the EU in 2023. It is simply a case of common sense and sound economics that any “reset” should include membership of the single market and customs union.

“This is in the best interest of Welsh businesses and the wider Welsh economy who are set to face a further blow thanks to Labour’s change to National Insurance contributions.

“The Prime Minister must now put Wales and the UK’s economic interests first or risk accusations that is “reset” is nothing but a slogan.”

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Freedom of movement

The UK Government has been adamant that its plans to reset the relationship with the EU will not involve joining the EU single market or customs union, or returning to freedom of movement.

Last month No 10 acknowledged a team has been established dealing with the future of EU-UK relations, amid media reports which claimed the so-called surrender squad will row back on the result of the 2016 referendum to leave the EU.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has said we want to reset out relationship with the EU and make Brexit work for the British people and we have seen very positive engagement in our early conversations as we work to reset the relationship with our European partners to strengthen ties, secure broad-based security pacts, tackle barriers to trade.”

He added: “This is all about ensuring that we get the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU, that ensures that Brexit works for the British people.”

No 10 has also refused to set an end date for the reset in relations Sir Keir’s Government is attempting to broker.

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16 comments

Jeff

We need the EU more than ever now. What with a president Musk about to land in the UK, things are getting abusive with the US.

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John

She and the other plaid MPs had the option to support CU or SM during the indicative vote parliamentary session. But they voted against it. If they and others had backed some compromise, we might not have ended up with the hard Brexit we did. Anyway,I live in Europe, no one here or in the media talks about the UK-EU relationship. Does she even know if it's on offer from the EU? I'm fairly sure the commission has said no negotiation until the terms of the original TCA are complied with. Freedom of movement is still unpalatable to the UK public. With the greatest respect, I would dare say many in EU would be apprehensive of FoM the other way also!

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S Duggan

What has Starmer got to lose? His party is already thought of badly by the public, due to a lackluster start, and there is still plenty of time before the next GE. If he really wants the economy to grow and hopefully people's lives to start improving as a result - rejoining the single market and customs union, really is a no brainer.

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Barnaby

There needs to be another vote otherwise the Cons will simply reverse it again. This time they might try asking what type of relationship people want with Europe instead of that ridiculous all or nothing question.

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Jeff

brexiteers claim brexit is done and dusted, we left. Which means we have a new vote to rejoin. I would be all for that.

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Peter Cuthbert

I would beg to differ about the idea of a new vote. We need to remember that the 2016 referendum was legally a 'consultation' vote and the Government was under no obligation to act on its outcome. The decision to go ahead with Brexit was thus wholly a Tory Party political decision, obviously supported by the Russians and the right wing US billionaires who funded much of the dark money in the Leave campaign. The trade 'deal' with New Zealand was instigated without a referendum and indeed was not even put to Parliament since there is no requirement in the UK constitutional practices for trade deals to be approved by anybody other than the Government. That is why the Tories also took the country into the Pacific trading zone, again with massive disadvantages for Welsh agriculture, with no discussion or external approval. Given that constitutional position, Starmer could authorise the joining of the Single Market and Customs Union with a simple signature. Of course, as John above points out he needs to make sure that all provisions in the De Piffle Treaty are implemented to show that he means business. Why will he not do that? I think his advisors are too frightened of the right wing press like elderly generals, they are too busy fighting the previous war. In this 'war' the right wing billionaires and press are in heavy attack mode on what little the Government has done so far. He might be much better off being bold and making life better for folk at the bottom of the heap. The right wing attacks would continue, but he might actually get some support from voters.

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In reply to Peter Cuthbert

Jeff

I think he needs to grab the beast by the horns and say we are doing it. It is demonstrably bad that we left. The usual suspects will always be on the attack no matter what he does. The far right press and think tanks are always going to be a thorn in the side of decent people. Show them up, Labour need to be hugely aggressive with messaging with this lot, we now have the sums to show how bad they were in the first place and polling suggests it could be a good move. I don't think tinkering around the edges will get us far. At this rate I could leave the £ and adopt the € with ease if that were a requirement. Its only a token used in transactions. But hey, I get a blue passport! (wothcha mean we could have had any colour anyway? DOH!)

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In reply to Peter Cuthbert

Barnaby

The legal aspects aren't really the point. The UK doesn't have a proper constitution and just makes things up as it goes. That's why there needs to be a democratic backing for any change in direction. If the question asked about security cooperation, migration cooperation, economic cooperation, trade cooperation, energy cooperation and ever closer political union separately, most would tick all of the boxes except the last one. And that would be the end of the matter.

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jimmy

Both the UK and EU desperately need the same thing for future economic growth and prosperity...cheap energy. Without that prerequisite, re-joining the bloc will only offer a greater opportunity for 'beggar thy neighbour' trade policies.

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Jeff

We had a lot of say in the way laws were made in the EU and in general they were good. There was a very good team over there in the background. What we saw up front was the likes of farage treat it like a wrecking option, not a fixing option. He did sweet sod all to be of any use. Even when on the fisheries commission, nothing. nada. zero zilch. And then has the temerity to complain about fishing in the UK.

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Pedro Griffiths

Is this Plaid's big thing? What other hard hitting policies if we don't re-join? If this is their answer to Reform. We are doomed I tell you.

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Garycymru

I'm sure there are intelligent people outside of those areas you mentioned.

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Garycymru

No. Wales and Scotland should join the EU as separate countries. England can rely on musk and trump.

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And

Ultimately if the UK re-joins the SM/CU then the for Indy supporters it will mean we're then campaigning to leave again. Can you imagine us re-joining the SM/CU then Plaid turning around after and supporting Indy which would then take us right back out? It doesn't make sense. Rhun and Liz are intelligent people. They know this.

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Peter Cuthbert

From what I have read, and thus my view may not be wholly correct, there is zero chance that the EU would accept 'bits' of the UK joining the SC and CU. Spain would block it because they are stronly fighting the Catalonian independence project even though the Indy Catalonia project is pretty popular in the region. For the UK we will need to sign up as the complete UK and remember, that does not make us a full member of the EU. So we could do that and keep Sterling which gives the Government of the day the opportunity to use monetary policy in a way that the European Central bank denies to EU member states. (See also "The deficit myth" by Stephanie Kelton for what could be done if a government has the courage to drop Market Fundamentalist (pseudo) economic thinking.) If we want independence after re-joining as full members of the EU then the precedent of Czechoslovakia could be followed where the country applied to be re-aligned into two separate states.

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And

Think for Spain it's more about closing pathways. Would Spain block Scotland or Wales entering? It's not certain but not completely impossible. There's no route for Wales from being within the UK to joining the SM/CU that does not include Independence as a stepping stone. Czechoslovakia was a bit different to our situation for the reason you pointed out with Spain; we'd be seen as subnational entities rather than equal partners - though it'd be interesting how this word work with Scotland which is technically an "equal partner" in the Union.

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