Rachel Reeves says Britain's future lies in EU as Labour debate grows

Rachel Reeves, the former chancellor, has said Britain's future lies in the European Union and that Brexit has made the country poorer, weaker and less secure. The remarks have put Labour's relationship with the EU back at the centre of political debate.

Sky News described it as her first intervention since she was sacked as chancellor. It reported that Reeves made the argument in an article for The Sunday Times, in which she said the UK should return to the EU and welcomed Andy Burnham's willingness to face up to the issue. BBC Two reported that Reeves was due to give a lecture at the Harvard Kennedy Center that evening.

On BBC News, David Maddox, political editor at The Independent, said all the signs pointed to Labour's next manifesto containing wording on rejoining or considering rejoining. He said polling suggested most people thought leaving the EU was a mistake. Anne McElvoy, executive editor of Politico, said it was harder to say the country's mood favoured rejoining when the terms of any return were unclear.

Sky News interviewed Emma Reynolds, a Treasury minister. She said the priority was to get a better deal with the EU and that she wanted a discussion with the British people about what is best for the country. She also said she had campaigned to remain in the EU in 2016. John Craig, Sky News' chief political correspondent, said pro-Europeans would be delighted but Labour MPs in red wall seats that voted heavily for Brexit would be worried. He said the next step was a UK-EU summit on 20 November.

On BBC Two's Politics Live, panellists disputed the economic case. Lucy said Labour's claim that Brexit had cost 9% of GDP was not true and that Bloomberg had undermined the figure. Emily said most people in Britain thought the UK should rejoin and that 30% of Reform voters agreed. James said Cambridge Econometrics projections were speculative and that rejoining would require a path to cut borrowing from 94% of GDP to 60%. BBC Two also noted that Gareth Snell had warned the discussion could be a distraction.