United Kingdom debates EU re‑membership and North Sea oil expansion

In the United Kingdom, senior Labour figures including Keir Starmer's successor Andy Burnham and former leadership hopeful Wes Streeting have reignited calls for Britain to re‑join the European Union, arguing that the bloc has transformed since Brexit into a fiscal and security union that issues common debt and pursues industrial policy aimed at strategic autonomy.

At the same time, the ruling Conservatives are using two by‑elections – in the traditionally Labour Makerfield constituency and in Aberdeen South, a region dependent on North Sea oil – as de‑facto referendums on their energy policy. The party promises to lift the moratorium on new oil licences and to expand drilling to lower household energy bills, despite analysis showing limited impact on prices and concerns over job losses as the sector winds down. Both debates are shaping the political narrative ahead of upcoming national elections.