Government officials were handed the plan as the Prime Minister prepares for talks with EU
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will hold a summit with EU leaders in October (Image: Getty)
The UK could join a new “European Confederation” under plans to unravel Brexit presented to Andy Burnham. It would mean rejoining the EU’s single market, while Britain would pledge to send armed forces – and use its nuclear deterrent – to defend Europe if needed.
Proposals to unravel Brexit have been presented to government officials as Mr Burnham prepares for an October summit with EU leaders, where the Prime Minister is expected to agree a new deal on energy, food exports and relaxing border controls for young people. The Confederation plan was drawn up by former Conservative MP Nick Boles, now a Labour adviser who helped with Sir Keir Starmer’s preparations for government.
Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, was one of the officials presented with the proposals.
According to the Telegraph, the UK, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway and the Western Balkan could join the confederation.
It would give the UK access to the EU’s Single Market for goods without having to accept freedom of movement or to scrap the pound and replace it with the euro.
Mr Boles told The Telegraph: “If we’re trying to do a bilateral negotiation in which we try to persuade the EU to have us have access to the single market for goods, we will fail.
“But if we make a proposal that solves other problems they have, like Ukraine… that’s the possibility where the selling might be easier. We can explain this isn’t just a selfish British deal, it’s a deal you can use to solve other problems yourselves.”
A government source said Ministers were working on proposals to deepen UK-EU cooperation.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has reportedly attempted to take control of post-Brexit negotiations, and accepted an invitation to attend an informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels.
But he has lost a Whitehall turf war, with the Cabinet Office, which oversaw preparations for Keir Starmer’s EU “reset” deal, maintaining control.
Fury at secret Home Office plan to house asylum seekers in idyllic seaside town
Reform Welsh Senedd member Tom Montgomery claimed as many as 52 asylum seekers could be housed at the site.
Sunset over the Welsh coast near Gronant (Image: Getty)
Families in an idyllic coastal village better known for its colony of little terns have reacted with fury to secretive Home Office plans to house asylum seekers there. Residents of Gronant in Flintshire, which has a population of around 1,600, have been told that 13 of 15 new homes at the former Gronant Institute site are due to be used by Clearsprings, a company working for the Home Office, to accommodate families awaiting decisions on their asylum claims.
Local councillor Glyn Banks is seeking a meeting involving the area’s Labour MP, police and representatives of concerned residents. He said: “The lack of any early briefing from Clearsprings or the Home Office has caused great upset in the community.”
Reform Welsh Senedd member Tom Montgomery claimed as many as 52 asylum seekers could be housed at the site.
He has written to the UK Government asking what security checks have been carried out and demanding that the proposals are stopped.
Mr Montgomery said: “With Gronant only having 697 households, limited services, and poor public transport links, it should be apparent to any reasonable person that it is the wrong place to house asylum-seekers.”
The plans have prompted concern in the village, with residents angry that they say they were not properly informed about the proposals before they emerged.
Gronant is home to an important colony of little terns and is known for its coastal setting and sandy beaches.
Flintshire County Council defended the asylum seekers who could be housed there.
A spokesman said: “They are not illegal immigrants, they are individuals exercising their legal right to claim asylum and deserve to be treated with compassion and respect.”