CBI boss Tony Danker has slammed Remainers for “false advocacy”, rejecting calls to rejoin the European Union. The Director General of the Confederation of British Industry said he does not “advocate” for rejoining the EU, saying the UK’s leave vote was a “choice made by the British people to say we want to be sovereign”. He dismissed the suggestion that the UK economy won’t be able to “thrive again” after Brexit, describing it as being “false bits of advocacy”.
When asked whether the UK could rejoin the EU, Tony Danker said: “Nobody thinks that’s going to happen, nobody is pushing for that to happen”, adding that “nobody thinks it is in any way realistic”.
Mr Danker is set to give a speech this afternoon in which he will call for PM Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to be more proactive in pursuing growth.
He is expected to say that public services like the NHS, schools and transport require more investment.
When asked earlier today by the BBC if he would advocate for the UK to rejoin the EU, Mr Danker said: “No, and I don’t advocate for it.
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“And you know why? Because Brexit was never about the economy, it was about sovereignty.
“This was a choice made by the British people to say we want to be sovereign, even if that means an economic price.
He continued: “What we now need to do, post that decision, is make the British economy grow again, thrive again.
“And I don’t believe we can’t do that because of Brexit and I don’t believe we can’t do that because of inflation.
But even Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out a second Brexit referendum.
He has adopted a “make Brexit work” approach and ruled out support for a Swiss-style model of closer economic ties.
Sir Keir has previously said there is “no case” for returning to the EU or the single market.
When questioned on whether he could change his mind on the issue in December, the Labour leader responded: “No, I don’t think. We left and having left there is no case now for saying ‘go back’ and back into the single market and customs union”.
In his first speech of 2023, Sir Keir coopted the Vote Leave slogan, pledging to introduce a Take Back Control Bill in his first term in power.
Sir Keir vowed to “embrace the Take Back Control message”, saying he will “turn it from a slogan to a solution”.
The Take Back Control Bill will form the centrepiece of Labour’s first King’s Speech, Sir Keir said.
