Bath for Europe

New government in July 2024. And article ‘Europe is no longer a dirty word’ in The New European by Chair of Bath for Europe

New Government

We welcome the new Labour government and the big intake of pro-European MPs. We are encouraged by the early signs of improving relations with the EU and goodwill from many European countries. We can now confidently say – as our Chair said earlier this year – within our government and parliament Europe is no longer a dirty word.

However, many of the objectives of the new government – rebuilding the economy and public services, and re-establishing Britain’s place in Europe after the damage caused by hard Brexit – will require much more than goodwill and some small improvements in EU relations. We believe a deep engagement with our European neighbours will be necessary, at least rejoining the customs union and single market and eventually rejoining the EU. Help us encourage our pro European government and MPs to take the necessary steps back to the heart of Europe.

Europe is no longer a dirty word

It’s now 4 years since the UK left the EU. Much damage has been done and will continue especially after the introduction of further Brexit border controls. But there are signs of hope. As Emma Knaggs, Deputy CEO of the UK European Movement and our Chair, has argued in The New European, Europe is no longer a dirty word and reconciliation is getting closer: “politicians are beginning to catch up with the widely accepted notion that we desperately need to repair our relations with the European Union. Over the past 12 months, substantive progress has been made” 

The Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland’s trading and governance arrangements and rejoining the EU’s Horizon research programme are two distinctive signs of progress. We can also add that last year the government said that UK industry can continue using the European CE conformity standard mark and quietly dropped the requirement to use the new UK CA mark. They also quietly dropped the proposal to go back to imperial weights and measures after most respondents to a government survey of over 100,000 people and organisations rejected the idea, though they did loudly say that wine could be sold in pint bottles should anyone wish to do so.

Emma concluded that “While there are still many politicians that speak about ‘Brexit benefits’, and some who fail to discuss the issue at all, it’s promising to see that amongst some key players the tone is finally shifting from ‘let’s go it alone’ to ‘let’s be firm friends’. Our leaders must now match their words with actions. Crucially, those who lead the next government must prioritise the rebuilding of our relationship with Europe.”