French Finance Minister Roland Lescure invited the UK to rejoin the EU during a BBC interview, commenting on Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s suggestion for a second Brexit referendum in a Labour manifesto. Lescure stated that while being part of the bloc has its challenges, it also helps address global issues collaboratively and welcomed Britain back "anytime." The minister also addressed domestic concerns in France, including student protests over school conditions and budget constraints affecting health care and pensions. He acknowledged the alarming public deficit at over 5% of GDP but emphasized the need to act now to avoid future crises.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Roland Lescure, France’s finance minister, invited Britain to "come all the way back" to the EU after comments made by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested a potential second Brexit referendum might be on the table. Burnham indicated that Labour would consider various options ranging from staying as is to rejoining the customs union or single market if they were to form the next government. Lescure emphasized while membership in the EU presents challenges, it also enables better addressing global issues. He stated British people have the right to decide but encouraged them to reconsider joining anytime they choose. Burnham had earlier expressed concerns about upcoming EU rules designed to protect European manufacturers from Chinese competition, which could adversely affect UK industry and supply chains.
Written for “UK EU Relations” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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- Published
French finance minister Roland Lescure has invited Britain to "come all the way" back to the EU, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham signalled a second Brexit referendum was "possible" in a future Labour election manifesto.
Lescure said being in the bloc comes with some difficulties, but it enables members to better address the challenges facing the world.
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it → publish → world
Last week, Burnham said the UK needed to "consider the options", ranging from staying as is, rejoining the customs union or single market, or going "all the way".
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UK → say → union
Asked about the PM's comments, Lescure told the BBC: "British people decided, and that's obviously their 100% right, and if they're willing to come back, they will have to decide."
"But what I can tell them is: come back, anytime."
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tell → ask → them
Burnham recently warned that planned EU rules to help European manufacturers would damage the UK.
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rules → warn → UK
The prime minister expressed concerns about how British industry and supply chains could be affected by the planned Made In Europe scheme.
uncertain
industry → express → scheme
The proposals aim to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies.
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proposals → aim → contracts
The EU's car industry has called for the UK to be included to prevent disruption to its own supply chains.
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UK → call → chains
Asked about the possibility of Britain being kept out of the scheme, Lescure said: "Come back, and you'll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together."
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we → ask → things
'Our duty is to listen to young people'
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duty → listen → people
The finance minister's interview with the BBC also touched on French domestic matters, including the student protests that have swept the country, with more than 500 schools fully or partially shut as of Wednesday.
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schools → touch → Wednesday
Hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets to call for better conditions in schools.
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thousands → take → schools
Lescure said it was a "tough world" for young people, saying he understood why they were anxious and that "our duty as leaders is to listen to them".
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duty → say → them
"It's hard to tell young people we're not going to have the money for you because we're spending a lot on health and pensions," he acknowledged.
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he → tell → health
"We're getting people more healthy.
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people → get → ?
People live longer.
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People → live → ?
But we cannot just say 'this is fine' and then we don't have money left for the kids, so we need to rebalance that."
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we → say → that
In France's upcoming budget he said he will cut back on health spending and ask retired people to accept a below-inflation rise to their pension next year.
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he → say → pension
While he said "not all" French schools were crumbling, he promised further investment in education, adding: "If we need to do more, we'll have to see."
Public deficit is 'alarming'
Other challenges France is currently facing include its budget deficit, and markets pushing up borrowing costs.
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France → say → costs
Lescure acknowledged that France's annual public borrowing of over 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) was "alarming", and said "that's why we need to act now" to avoid being forced to act later.
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we → acknowledge → product
Asked about the possibility of an intervention from the eurozone's central bank, Lescure said his job was to make sure France did not have to "go there".
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have → ask → bank
With significant rises in French borrowing costs, especially the premium paid over its eurozone partner, Germany, Lescure acknowledged it was "more expensive" to borrow but said there was "no issue" with issuing its debt.
He said that his budget "will pass" a fractious French parliament and there were "lots of different ways" to ensure that.
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budget → pay → that
The Aporia
