Speaking about the UK's decision to leave the EU at the UCL Centre for Finance, Romano Prodi - who served as president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004 said: "I'm betting that in 15 years the UK will come back."
His optimism for Britain to rejoin the bloc is not matched by Jean-Claude Juncker, another former European Commission chief, who in July suggested it would take "a century or two".
Speaking to Politico, he said: "When you leave a boat, you can't get back on the same boat." Sir Keir Starmer has previously insisted the UK will not rejoin the EU within his lifetime. "I've been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union [allowing a] return to freedom of movement," he said.
Denne historien er fra October 26, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra October 26, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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South Africa find a spring in their step to dominate game
A captivating year saw lots of storylines including a thrilling sevens tournaments at the Paris Olympics, Antoine Dupont magic and a Springboks double, writes Harry Latham-Coyle
Lords of the ring walk
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk created history this year
Basque in the glow: Iraola the best-kept secret lifting Cherries to new heights.
A 42-year-old Spanish head coach from the Basque region making waves and earning admirers in the Premier League isn’t a unique position.
Even cold hard cash isn't enough for this spent force
Pep Guardiola has witnessed his empire start to fall as ‘forever football’ takes its toll, writes Miguel Delaney
The babies from the Boxing Day tsunami - 20 years on
The 2004 disaster left thousands without parents. Former travel agent Lynn Stanier explains how after volunteering she vowed to never stop helping the kids she met in Sri Lanka
Hundreds of Humvees left by US forces in Afghanistan
American and Nato troops abandoned military equipment worth more than $7.2bn, much of which is now in a state of disrepair in the Taliban’s hands, as Arpan Rai reports
The family who see saving Gaza's animals as 'our duty'
A heroic family-run animal sanctuary has defied the odds by working around the clock” to save hundreds of animals suffering in Gaza during a year of intense Israeli bombardment.
Nearly 40 dead as plane crashes in Kazakhstan
Children among 29 survivors of Russian-bound flight
Man arrested for attempted murder after four hit by car
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four pedestrians were hit by a car in London’s West End in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Britain's lost Atlantis: Stone Age artefacts on the seabed
Discovery reveals more on prehistoric land under North Sea
