Britain should not be “plunging ourselves into a very long, protracted debate” about rejoining the European Union, the Business and Trade secretary has said.
Peter Kyle appeared to bat away calls from senior Labour figures that the party should campaign to again seek membership of the trade bloc.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has argued in favour of making it a Labour manifesto commitment to rejoin the EU.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting in December suggested he favours the idea of a customs union with the bloc, while Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan recently said she was an “absolute Euro-enthusiast” when asked about Sir Sadiq’s remarks.
But speaking to LBC, Mr Kyle signalled Labour would not move to rejoin.
Asked if he would support calls to rejoin the EU, the Business Secretary said: “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.
“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.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out plans to follow more of the EU’s rules, saying closer alignment would help bring down prices and inflation.
She warned the UK risked 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”.
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.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Ms Reeves signalled she was hopeful about concluding the food deal, officially known as the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which involves shared standards on animal and plant health.
As she updated MPs on measures to help with a spike in living costs caused by the war with Iran, the Chancellor said: “I can confirm to the House that we are aiming to conclude negotiations with the EU this year on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which will directly impact food prices in our shops.”
Though Ms Reeves appeared confident about the food agreement, 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.
Downing Street rejected suggestions from reporters that closer regulatory alignment with the EU might be seen by some as an attempt to undo Brexit.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t accept that.
“As the Prime Minister and Chancellor have both said, where it is in our national interest to align with EU we should be prepared to do so.
“As we’ve said before, we recognise that there will be trade-offs, but when the economic gains exceed the cost, the trade-off is worth making, because the prize is considerable.”
