The UK could be landed with an eyewatering £35 billion bill if Britain rejoins the European Union (EU), according to new research from pro-Brexit group Britain Unbound. The figure is nearly double the UK's contributions before leaving the bloc.
Research Methodology and EU Budget Plans
Britain Unbound arrived at the £35 billion figure by analysing Brussels' budget proposals for 2027/28. EU officials are planning to hike member spending to nearly €2 trillion over a seven-year period and introduce new taxes on carbon emissions, tobacco sales and electronic waste.
Steve Wright, head of the group, told The Sun: "Those who wish to rejoin the EU should present their argument in the harsh reality of the present day. Not a rose-tinted picture of 2016."
Political Context and Rejoin Prospects
Britain Unbound's research assumed that the UK could rejoin the EU in 2028 without negotiated opt-outs or a rebate. Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham once said he hoped Britain would rejoin the EU "in my lifetime", but has since pledged not to "re-run" old Brexit arguments.
Mr Burnham could nonetheless face pressure to seek increasingly closer EU ties, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves calling on him to be "much bolder" and go "much further" in his pursuit of proximity to the bloc. In what will likely be her last speech in post, Ms Reeves said the prize of a stronger relationship with the EU would be "immense" and called for a UK-EU summit, which was planned for this month but thrown into doubt after Keir Starmer's resignation, to be rescheduled "as soon as possible".
Official Rejection of Rejoin
Despite this, and Mr Starmer's efforts to renege on Britain's distance from the bloc, the outgoing PM's EU relations minister rejected the prospect of rejoining as an "unrealistic" mirage last month. Speaking at a think tank event, Nick Thomas-Symonds said attempting to negotiate a return deal would create "constant, exhausting conflict". "We live in a post-Brexit world, and it's time people started acting like it," he said.
