George Osborne urges UK to rejoin EU customs union

Former British Chancellor George Osborne has called for the United Kingdom to rejoin the European Union customs union, arguing it is the fastest way to recover from the economic impact of Brexit. Osborne stated that the British economy has “fallen off a cliff” and is clearly poorer than it would have been otherwise.

He characterized rejoining the customs union as a “straightforward decision” because, unlike rejoining the single market, it does not require the UK to accept the free movement of people. Osborne noted that the original argument for leaving the customs union—the ability to strike independent trade deals with countries like the United States—now appears “fanciful.”

Osborne suggested that the move would help revive trade with the European continent and attract investment. He specifically addressed Prime Minister Andy Burnham, suggesting that rejoining the customs union would be a logical step for the current administration to address growth problems.