THE GUARDIAN: Britain likely to face ‘warm, welcoming stance’ if it seeks re-entry but also a ‘hard-headed one’ – with no special deals
Britain would not be able to rejoin the EU on the special terms it enjoyed in the past, veterans of the Brexit negotiations have said.
The warnings came as senior Labour politicians jostling for the leadership of their party and country talk openly about wanting to return to the union at some point in the future.
Georg Riekeles, a former adviser on the EU’s Brexit taskforce, said he expected member states would take “a very warm, welcoming” stance but also a “hard-headed” one to a British membership application.
“There is a strategic need for the EU and the UK to work together, but I don’t think there would be an appetite for opening up new decades of British exceptionalism,” he said. “The price of re-entry would be membership on normal terms.”
During its 47 years of EU membership, the UK achieved an unprecedented special status: opt-outs from core policies, such as the single currency and the Schengen passport-free zone, as well as a rebate on EU budget payments, while carving out an agenda-setting role.
Sandro Gozi, Italy’s Europe minister from 2014-18, said “certainly we will start” with those standard terms, when asked about the euro and Schengen zone membership in any re-entry negotiations. “It is clear that the tailor-made suit is gone, and it is clear that the negotiation of the UK should tackle all the issues which are foreseen for any candidate.” » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Kiran Stacey | Monday, May 18, 2026
