Former European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier stated that the United Kingdom could rejoin the bloc without being forced to adopt the euro. However, in an interview with Sky News on Thursday, November 5, 2026, he emphasized that the U.K. would be required to accept the freedom of movement for people as a condition for rejoining the single market.
Barnier’s comments follow statements by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who recently addressed the country's evolving relationship with Europe. While Burnham has not ruled out including a proposal to rejoin the EU in a future Labour Party manifesto, he stated that he will not "run ahead of public opinion" and that the public remains "the boss" on the issue.
The former negotiator described the single market's "four freedoms"—the movement of goods, services, capital, and people—as linked and "not negotiable." He stated that there is no possibility for "cherry-picking" or a "single market 'a la carte'." This position addresses ongoing domestic debates where some political figures, including Lord Neil Kinnock, have suggested the Prime Minister is the person to lead the U.K. back into the bloc.
The economic scale of the current arrangement is significant. Stanford University professor Nick Bloom estimates that Brexit has reduced the U.K. economy by up to 8 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to increased red tape, trade losses, and delays. For a country with a multi-trillion-pound economy, an 8 percent loss represents billions of pounds in potential economic activity, which translates to fewer resources for public services or higher costs for businesses and consumers. Prime Minister Burnham noted that the current post-Brexit landscape has shifted migration patterns, replacing temporary European migration with higher numbers of long-term settlements.
What happens next depends on the Prime Minister’s decision regarding the next general election manifesto. While Burnham has instructed ministers to explore long-term options for the U.K.-EU relationship, no specific dates for a referendum or a formal application to rejoin have been set. The government's current stance is to wait for further shifts in public opinion before proposing structural changes to the Brexit agreement. Barnier's clarification ensures that any future negotiation would require the U.K. to accept freedom of movement, a central pillar of EU membership that voters rejected in 2016.