Barnier says UK could rejoin EU without euro, but only if it accepts free movement
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Michel Barnier, the European Union's former chief Brexit negotiator, said the United Kingdom could reopen talks on rejoining the bloc without adopting the euro, but only by accepting the EU's four freedoms, including the free movement of people. His remarks underline the basic truth that access to the single market comes with obligations, not bespoke nationalist exceptions.
Michel Barnier, the European Union's former chief Brexit negotiator, told Sky News that the United Kingdom could begin talks to rejoin the bloc without being required to adopt the euro. He stressed that the single currency would not be a condition, but that joining the single market would be, and that this necessarily means accepting the free movement of people, goods, services and capital.
"As far as the freedom of movement is concerned, I can only repeat that the four freedoms are linked together and are not negotiable," Barnier said.
He added that there is no room for "cherry-picking" or a "single market 'a la carte'", making clear that the UK already knows the terms for re-entering the single market and customs union. For critics of Brexit, this simply confirms that the EU's framework is built on solidarity and shared rules, not on picking the benefits while rejecting the responsibilities.
The comments follow remarks by UK Labour leader Andy Burnham, who denied proposing a return of free movement and said the public should decide any future relationship with the EU. Burnham has urged ministers to examine long-term options, and he has not ruled out the possibility of including EU re-membership in Labour's next election manifesto.
Polling data cited by the Independent shows support for rejoining the EU at 61 percent, the highest level since the 2016 referendum, while a Stanford University professor estimated that the UK may have lost up to 8 percent of GDP because of Brexit-related trade disruptions.