Former chancellor Rachel Reeves says Britain's future lies in the EU, claiming Brexit made it 'poorer, weaker and less secure'
Rachel Reeves, pictured in July, urged the government to secure a youth mobility scheme at the UK-EU summit this month and to pursue entry into the SAFE defence partnership.A data graphic showing 73 per cent of under-35s backing EU membership, a figure former Labour leader Neil Kinnock called evidence of "continually growing support" that will only expand.
Rachel Reeves, sacked as chancellor by Andy Burnham in July, has broken her post-Cabinet silence to declare she has always privately backed EU membership, writing in the Sunday Times that "no one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were." She backed Burnham's push for closer EU ties despite having co-authored Labour's 2024 manifesto, which explicitly ruled out rejoining.
Reeves urged the government to secure a youth mobility scheme at the UK-EU summit this month, and to pursue entry into the SAFE defence partnership.
A new Ipsos poll found 56% of respondents would now vote to rejoin the EU, up four points since May, with opposition falling to 30%.
Chancellor John Healey has signalled scepticism about rejoining, exposing a Cabinet-level split over Burnham's direction.
