The business and trade secretary has slapped down suggestions that Labour should campaign to rejoin the European Union, arguing that Britain should not be “plunging ourselves into a very long, protracted debate” about undoing Brexit.
Peter Kyle appeared to bat away calls from senior Labour figures that the party should campaign to again seek membership of the trade bloc.
It comes after London mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this month argued his party should commit to rejoining the bloc in its next election manifesto, claiming that a return to the EU is “inevitable”.
Asked about the mayor’s remarks, Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan said she was an “absolute Euro-enthusiast”.
Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting in December suggested he favours the idea of a customs union with the bloc.
But asked about the growing calls within Labour for the party to reopen the conversation on the EU, Mr Kyle told LBC Labour would not move to rejoin.
“I think right now we have the policy that is right for the moment we’re in: make sure we have the reset, that we explore all the opportunities we have with the EU, with the US, and also looking at the additional trade deals we’ve got around the world,” the business secretary said.
“Rather than plunging ourselves into a very long, protracted debate about rejoining we need to be looking at all of the incredible opportunities there are out there for partnerships around the world, both multilaterally and bilaterally, country-to-country.”
Mr Kyle said he wanted to “focus on those deals that will deliver short-term, immediate growth into our economy”, like the US tech deal, which he said unlocked 300 billion US dollars worth of trade.
He added: “This is what I’m really, really focused on. And when it comes to the EU, we will rebuild, we are rebuilding the relationship, and we’re very open-minded about the alignment that will bring benefits to both EU countries and the UK.”
Though Mr Kyle is the latest senior government figure to slap down suggestions of rejoining the EU, ministers are seeking to work more closely with the bloc.
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing a bill which would hand ministers powers to bring the UK into alignment with EU law, in an attempt to reduce paperwork and boost growth in Britain.
The bill, which will be brought forward this year as part of No 10’s plan for a Brexit “reset”, would give ministers overarching powers to bring the UK in line with EU law in certain areas, such as food standards, animal welfare and pesticide use – a process known as dynamic alignment.
Meanwhile, chancellor Rachel Reeves has admitted that Brexit has not been good for Britain.
She warned that the UK risks being “stranded” between rival trading blocs unless it forged closer ties with Brussels, and said the UK’s fate as a country was “inescapably bound with that of Europe”.
As the country battles flatlining economic growth and ongoing fears over the cost of living, Ms Reeves argued that closer ties with the EU is the “biggest prize” economically.
The UK and EU plan to meet in the summer to agree deals on shared food standards, carbon emissions, and youth mobility, as part of the government’s attempted “reset” with Brussels.
There have been some suggestions from those involved in negotiations that a carve-out on cheaper tuition fees for EU students could prove a sticking point in the youth mobility deal.
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