Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has told Sir Keir Starmer<\/a> it is \u201ctime to look at rejoining\u201d the European Union<\/a> to ease the country\u2019s economic woes <\/a>and get a grip on the small boat crisis.<\/a> <\/p>\n Lord Kinnock, who led the Labour<\/a> Party from 1983 to 1992, said the UK could no longer afford the \u201chuge self-inflicted losses\u201d created by leaving the European Union<\/a> \u2013 and that restoring membership would be a major boost for growth.<\/p>\n He said he understood the reluctance within government over the issue,<\/a> but \u201csooner or later, we\u2019re going to have to say if we really want sustained economic growth, we have to be part of a body of the single market with our nearest neighbours\u201d.<\/p>\n The comments by Lord Kinnock, a former European Commissioner and vice-president of the European Commission, come amid warnings that Rachel Reeves will have to raise taxes in the Budget in November to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules. On Friday, experts warned that unexpectedly high government borrowing figures in August meant tax rises were \u201cinevitable\u201d. <\/a><\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has made a number of interventions in recent weeks, urging Starmer to change course on several key policies (Getty)<\/p>\n Lord Kinnock said: \u201cIf we rejoined, we\u2019d be able to get rid of the economic growth deficit, which is costing us \u00a3100bn a year, which means the government is losing \u00a340bn in tax revenue. We can\u2019t afford to carry on losing revenues on that scale or the investment in jobs that would go with that amount. We need to resume normality and be part of our continent again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would hugely help our economy out at a time of desperate need in a major way.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be marginal, it would be about five per cent of GDP added to our economy,\u201d he added. \u201cI think it has always been time to look at rejoining the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n Lord Kinnock also argued that EU membership would strengthen Britain\u2019s ability to manage migration, as Sir Keir fails to get a grip on illegal migration with small boats crossings at a record high. <\/p>\n Around 1,000 people crossed the Channel in dinghies on Friday while the government has so far only been able to deport three migrants under its \u201cone in, one out\u201d returns deal with France after a slew of last-minute legal challenges.<\/p>\n Lord Kinnock said: \u201cIt would help the small boats crisis, too, as we will be part of the Dublin Protocol again,\u201d he said. \u201cUnder that protocol, which we participated in until 2021 when we fully left the EU, anyone who arrived by irregular means could be returned to the last EU country through which they came from [France].<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Lord Kinnock with Keir Starmer as the 2024 election results came in (PA)<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, we didn\u2019t have to do it much as there were very, very, very few people arriving by irregular means. Why? Because they knew that when apprehended, they would be sent back. We had to get out of the Dublin Protocol when we left the EU, something believers of Farage and the rest of them never acknowledged but it was always the truth. When we left the EU, we left the Dublin Protocol, which is the main deterrent to irregular migration. That is what has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n On free movement, Lord Kinnock said the system had never been properly enforced before Brexit<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2157972399.jpeg\")
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