France, Spain Say EU Would Welcome UK Back After Burnham Remark

France and Spain said the European Union would welcome the UK back if it ever chose to rejoin the bloc, responding shortly after new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham floated the possibility.

Macron: “Welcome back”

French President Emmanuel Macron made the remark in Madrid, where he was speaking Wednesday alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

“Welcome back,” Macron quipped in English during the appearance.

“This prime minister is moving in that direction,” Macron added, referring to Burnham.

Macron also said, “I think it’s very good news both for his country and for the Europeans.”

Spain says it would “open its arms”

Sanchez, who was hosting Macron on a two-day visit, said Brexit was a “huge loss” for the UK population and Europe.

The Spanish prime minister said Spain would “certainly welcome” a returned Britain.

He added that Spain would “open its arms once again to a brotherly people with whom Spain has such good relations in every sphere”.

Why the remarks matter

The comments matter because they came from the leaders of France and Spain soon after Burnham raised the possibility of the UK rejoining the European Union.

They also placed Brexit in a wider European context, with Sanchez describing it as a loss not only for the UK population but also for Europe.

Macron’s and Sanchez’s remarks indicated that, if the UK ever decided to return, two major EU governments would respond positively.

Source: South China Morning Post