GB News panel doubts poll showing EU rejoin support after Burnham Budget bounce
GB News discussed a report in The i weekend that a poll suggested more people want to rejoin the EU after Andy Burnham's Budget comments, with panellists doubting the finding and warning of membership terms.
How it was covered
- GB News was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on scepticism about the EU rejoin poll and the terms of membership.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, Channel 4, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
GB News discussed a report in The i weekend that a poll suggested more people now wanted to rejoin the European Union after Andy Burnham's comments and the Budget. The segment treated the finding as a prompt for a sceptical panel discussion rather than a straight news report.
On GB News, one panellist said he did not believe the poll and argued that people did not understand what rejoining would involve. He said estimates of the economic cost of Brexit had risen from about 4% of GDP to about 8%, meaning the cost had doubled. He also said the UK could not return on the same terms because it would have to accept the euro and give up the pound.
Andrew Rosindell said on GB News that Britain had been right to leave the EU and could succeed as a global free trading nation. He said rejoining would mean accepting the euro, free movement and payments of about 40 billion, and that the British people would not vote for it if they knew the terms. He warned that aligning with EU rules would harm the UK's ability to trade with the rest of the world.
Another panellist on GB News said the poll might reflect the effect of recent handouts, but added that typical disposable income was still projected to fall, the tax system was becoming more complicated and there was little growth in the economy. He said the poll should be repeated in a year or two.
A further panellist argued on GB News that a closer trading relationship with the EU was in the UK's interest. He said exporters would find life easier and imports would be cheaper, and he backed a youth exchange scheme. He also said trade gravity meant the UK did most business with nearby countries such as Ireland and the EU, while remaining outside the bloc.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A panellist said rejoining the EU would require accepting the euro and free movement. | |
| A poll reportedly indicated increased support for EU membership after Andy Burnham's comments and the Budget. | |
| Andrew Rosindell said Britain could succeed as a global free-trading nation. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News used the poll as the springboard for a sceptical panel segment, with one panellist saying he did not believe the finding. The discussion dwelt on the terms of rejoining, including the euro, free movement and payments, and on the economic costs of Brexit. It also questioned whether a Budget bounce could be sustained, citing falling typical disposable income, a more complicated tax system and weak growth.
- “I don't think people want to rejoin the EU. Or if they do, they probably don't know what that entails.”
- “if we went back into the EU, we'd have to accept the euro, we'd have to accept free movement”
- “the poll is saying that more people now want to join the EU following Andy Burnham's comments and, of course, the budget.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.