Why Keir Starmer's Labour Party Is Unlikely to Campaign for UK Rejoining the European Union
Europe won’t have us at this time.
Because every party that has done so has lost badly. Keir Starmer’s Labour, known for their focus on power and not just party ideologies, seems to believe that sneaking into a position that is vote-losing, such as rejoining the EU, is irrelevant to their politics.
Moreover, he doesn’t need to campaign. With a 170-seat majority, he has the power to rejoin the EU if he so chooses, much like Ted Heath did in the past. However, one can’t help but wonder why he would go through such a laborious process.
Substantive and Political Implications
Substantively speaking, joining the EU would be an absolutely mammoth task, likely absorbing the government's time and energy for the next five years. The benefits are far from clear. The EU faces enormous challenges that are specific to it, and if the UK were to join, it would carry those challenges as its own. Meanwhile, the UK has its own significant challenges that need to be addressed. Focusing on such internal issues would be more sensible.
Politically speaking, rejoining the EU might satisfy die-hard, single-issue obsessed individuals, but it is far from clear that it would benefit the population at large. All the polling indicates that the vast majority of the British population no longer cares about the EU.
From an overall perspective, there is a cost-benefit equation for Keir Starmer. Making his short stint in office the focus of EU debates simply doesn't add up.
Other Considerations and Drawbacks
There are so many questions surrounding the UK's potential rejoining of the EU.
Consider the legal implications, for instance. They would need to break a Supreme Court decision that makes it clear EU law cannot be placed above the will of Parliament. This is a significant drawback, as it would highlight a conflict between the UK and the EU's governing bodies.
The EU, knowing the UK's resignation to rejoin previously, would likely not welcome them back. Additionally, Spain’s fear of Scottish independence would create a rule that any part of the EU has the right to obtain independence. It would be impossible to argue against, and it would take many years to introduce the tens of thousands of new laws and regulations the EU has introduced since Brexit. The cost involved would be enormous and would likely make the current "imaginary black hole" of government spending seem insignificant.
In summary, the challenges and potential costs of rejoining the EU far outweigh the benefits, both from a practical and political standpoint.