Tinkering with EU deal will not restore growth, PM told

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that "tinkering" with Britain's EU deal will not rescue the economy and bring about the increase in growth or productivity his government has aimed to achieve.

- DAVID MADDOX

The warning from the independent all-party pressure group European Movement has come with a shopping list of things the new Labour government needs to achieve in order to restore confidence in Britain as a safe place to invest.

It follows a devastating report by economic think tank the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) which showed that “Brexit uncertainty” has harmed external investment in the UK, damaged productivity – particularly in regions like the Midlands which voted for Leave – and held the UK back from recovering from the pandemic compared to other Western countries.

Responding to the report, Richard Kilpatrick, campaign manager of the European Movement UK said: “To grow the economy and invest in our public sector, to build the hospitals and schools that our communities need, we need to accept that Brexit has failed to deliver in every area. The European Movement welcomes the work of NIESR, which confirms that our hard separation from the EU is now seriously holding our country back. We deserve better.”