Lescure invites Britain all the way back into the EU

French finance minister Roland Lescure has invited Britain to come all the way back into the European Union after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a second Brexit referendum was possible in a future Labour election manifesto. Lescure told the BBC the UK departure had been very sad and that membership, for all its difficulties, lets countries tackle global challenges together.

Burnham said last week the country must consider the options, from staying as now, rejoining the customs union or single market, or going all the way. Asked about those remarks, Lescure replied that the British people decided and that remains their right. If they are willing to return, they will have to decide. What he can tell them is simple: come back, anytime.

The same message covered industry fears. Burnham has warned that planned EU rules to shield European manufacturers would damage the UK. The Made In Europe scheme aims to protect EU firms from Chinese rivals by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies. British industry and supply chains stand to feel the hit. The EU car sector has already called for the UK to be included to stop disruption to its own chains.

Lescure’s answer was blunt. Come back and you will be at the table, and we discuss all these things together. Outside the club, Britain watches decisions made without it. Inside, it sits where the rules are written. That is the choice he put on the table, no soft edges.

The invitation lands while Burnham keeps the door open to another public vote. Lescure made plain that any return rests on a British decision, yet the welcome is already stated. Sovereignty given up once is not easily regained. The French minister’s words leave little room for half measures: full membership or stay out and live with the consequences for factories and contracts.

Britain left. Paris is now saying the door stands open if voters and ministers choose to walk back through it. The price is clear and the terms are the EU’s. That is the steel in the offer.