See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 10:00 BST, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 10:09 BST, 8 June 2026
Labour's Brexit civil war ramped up again today as the Foreign Secretary insisted Britain will not rejoin the EU.Yvette Cooper said the Government cannot 'turn back the clock' despite a Cabinet colleague suggesting 'red lines' on ties to Brussels could be dropped.Tensions have been rising within Labour over the approach to the bloc as Keir Starmer's grip on power loosens. Wes Streeting declared last month that he wanted the UK to rejoin, mooting including the proposal in the next general election manifesto.Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has also backed reversing Brexit, although he played down the prospect of it happening soon as he fights the Makerfield by-election against Reform.Senior figures such as London Mayor Sadiq Khan have called for the UK to go back into the single market - but other MPs have warned backtracking would provoke fury from voters. Yvette Cooper said the Government cannot 'turn back the clock' despite a Cabinet colleague suggesting 'red lines' on ties to Brussels could be droppedSir Keir is hoping to unveil a much closer relationship with the EU at a summit this summer, despite alarm over concessions on taking Brussels rules, more cash contributions and a youth 'free movement' scheme.Ms Cooper told the Sun that Mr Streeting's idea of campaigning to rejoin was not the 'right approach'. 'Some people think we shouldn't talk to our European neighbours, other people think we should be turning back the clock. We can't turn back the clock,' she said.'We should be moving forward in new partnerships, working constructively, on issues from outside the EU.'The Cabinet minister added: 'We had those debates, it was done. We had a referendum. We had a whole long debate for several years afterwards.'Now, from outside of the EU, we can have good relationships, and we should have good relationships.'However, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the 'red lines' against rejoining the customs union and single market could be up for grabs in the next manifesto.'It is something we obviously will have to look at,' he said. 'It would be dependent on how successful we are with the current reset.'Mr Thomas-Symonds hinted that if the 'reset' goes well this summer there would be a move to go further.'What happens after the next election will depend on how successful I am across this parliament in terms of what I have delivered,' he said. 'I think what we're doing is popular. But it needs to show results to remain popular.' Nick Thomas-Symonds hinted that if the 'reset' goes well this summer there would be a move to go further
