By Sohaib Shams
The UK could rejoin the European Union without adopting the euro, as it is "perfectly possible" to negotiate membership without any obligation to join the single currency, but must accept freedom of movement, former EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said.
Freedom of movement 'not negotiable'
Barnier, a former French prime minister once dubbed the bloc's "Mr Brexit," told Sky News that the four freedoms of the single market — movement of people, goods, services and capital — are linked and cannot be separated. "As far as the freedom of movement is concerned, I can only repeat that the four freedoms are linked together and are not negotiable," he said.
No cherry-picking allowed
He added that there is no negotiation possible on any kind of cherry-picking or a single market "à la carte," emphasizing that the UK knows the conditions for rejoining the single market and customs union.
Political context
The remarks follow Labour's Andy Burnham denying he had proposed a return of freedom of movement, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for an "honest discussion" on how Brexit replaced temporary European migration with long-term settlement. Starmer has not ruled out putting a rejoining option in Labour's next manifesto, and former Labour leader Neil Kinnock suggested he could lead the UK back into the EU.
