Question Time in Brecon splits over reopening EU rejoin debate

BBC Question Time came from Brecon for a debate on whether Britain should reopen an honest conversation about rejoining the European Union.

The first question came from Rebecca Funnell. She asked whether, after Andy Burnham said everything was on the table with the EU, it was time for Britain to have an honest conversation about rejoining. The host said the subject felt like Back to the Future, because the programme had covered the heat of the Brexit debates when she started.

The panel splits

Panellist Stephen Kinnock said it was definitely time for an honest conversation. He said there had been a debate and a vote in 2016, but ten years on Brexit had done more harm than good. He claimed 16,000 companies had stopped exporting to the EU and that goods exports to the EU were down nearly 20%. He said Brexit had weakened the UK on the global stage and that in a world of three big blocks, the United States, China and the European Union, there was strength in numbers.

He also said Andy Burnham was prepared to have an honest conversation about the long-term relationship. He stressed that red lines remained on joining the EU, the single market and the customs union within this parliamentary term. He pointed to the Brussels summit on 20 November as a chance to discuss trade, easier food exports, the energy trading system and manufacturing.

James opposed reopening the debate. He said no one he met down the pub or in daily life was talking about rejoining the EU. He said the issue had divided the country once, and he accused Andy Burnham of trying to get Britain back into Brussels after five minutes. He said voters cared about GP appointments, schools, jobs and making the most of Brexit, not being shackled to the EU. He also criticised politicians in Westminster who wanted to return to the European Parliament.

Audience divisions

Audience contributions showed the same split. One man said the 2016 result was the biggest democratic vote this country had ever had and should have been accepted. He said the EU was crumbling, pointing to the rise of the AfD in Germany and Marine Le Pen in France, and argued Britain's future did not lie inside the bloc. He also said the politicians who delivered Brexit had not delivered the complete leave he voted for, leaving Britain half in and half out.

Another audience member said COVID and the war in Ukraine should not be used as an excuse to go back to the country. He said they should be used to chart a new future for Britain. A woman said EU membership had provided more services for young people, disabled people and young unpaid carers, including community events that kept pressure off GPs. She said she was disappointed by Brexit and would welcome a conversation about going back in.

A second woman criticised Stephen Kinnock directly. She said his talk of returning to the EU represented everything she hated about the bloc, which she called a corrupt old boys' network. She claimed his family had done well out of the EU and that this explained why many people disliked it.

Another audience member, George, said Russia had tried to intervene in the Brexit vote because it knew leaving would harm both the UK and the EU. He said that prediction had been proved right, damaging Britain's standing and its economic, social and cultural life. He said Wales alone had lost a billion pounds net in regional and social funding. He also said young people had lost opportunities to work and live abroad. He argued that rejoining the customs union or single market alone would leave Britain as a rule taker, accepting EU decisions without a seat at the table. The exchanges reflected deep divisions in the room.