The outlines of Re Set are clear. It is all give and no take for the UK. The EU sets unrealistic red lines and the UK cones round to capitulating.
1. Joining Erasmus will cost £800 ma year for a worse student scheme than our own all UK based Turing fund. UK taxpayers will be paying a majority of their money to EU students
2. UK Universities will probably lose big sums by having to cut their fees to EU students down to the much lower UK student level.
3. We surrender £6 bn of fish which we should be fishing for ourselves and processing in the UK.
4. We will have to increase our carbon taxes and emissions costs by aligning with the dearer EU scheme.
5.We will have to accept a Mobility scheme for under 30 s, increasing pressure on homes and jobs for young people in the UK. There will be far more EU people coming to the UK than British people going to the EU.
6. We will impose carbon based tariffs or taxes on non EU imports, making UK business less competitive and squeezing UK consumers
7. We will burden every business in the UK with more EU rules and costs needlessly. The minority that export to the EU already comply for their exports, just as any exporter has to meet foreign requirements in markets they sell to.
8.The EU will send us a big bill for administration and for a “ solidarity” payment. How much will the new EU tax be to pay for it?
9. The UK may have to water down its higher animal welfare standards to comply with EU farm trade rules
10. More taxes, more laws, more tariffs on non EU means less growth, not more. Why make us poorer by hitching us to a slow growth region whose own Draghi Report says is failing to compete with the US and China?
October 3, 2026
Indeed and it would be hugely anti democratic too.
A Prime Minister you cannot trust
@jacob_rees_mogg.
Video
We alas have a PM with wrong views on almost everything and a huge majority gifted to Labour by Sunak. Burnham is right though on wanting to have more people learning practical skills and fewer going to university I suppose (undoing the Blair 50 to university lunacy) anything else?
THE Green MP on Any Question yesterday seems to have load of degrees on sustainability etc. even teaching at a university it seems and yet she said nothing remotely sensible. Expensively educated into irrational stupidity it seems.
October 3, 2026
You’re right, LL.
I watched an interview. David Starkey interviewed Professor Norman Fenton. Both were lecturers at universities, but with a ten year age gap. Fenton said when he started out, only 5% of the population went to university, but they were pretty left wing, even then. As the years went by the student numbers grew.
Fenton said he was pretty left wing until he went to two debates about a week apart. The first topic he knew nothing about, and he said he came out fired up and ‘raring to go!’ However, the second debate, he knew a lot about, first hand. He was horrified at the indoctrination being used and soon started questioning things more! The left wing are using universities to indoctrinate with their ideologies. Hence the Green MP’s rhetoric!
October 3, 2026
Blair’s 50% to university rather!
Everything Blair and Brown did should be reversed – where ever possible and almost all of what Cameron through to Burnham did too. Nearly all was vandalism.
How long before our youth start burning our schools down like the French?
October 3, 2026
Lifelogic
Just back from spending a month in France who now have diesel shortages, and when you can get it, it ranges from 2.25 -2.50 Euro’s a litre, the yellow vests are out again protesting.
As usual their motorways are a dream to drive on compared to ours in the UK, tolls are expensive, but no road tax, their CritAir certificate (ULEZ type Zone in some City’s) for the car is 4 euro’s for the life of the car, no daily charge, most towns have free parking to encourage trade and spending in their Towns.
Yes fully aware that due to the size of the Country traffic is less dense in most places than in the UK, but with France having more land mass, you have more roads to maintain than in the UK.
Interesting that in the village/Town in which we stayed all maintenance work is done by local Council workmen/employees, not subcontracted out.
The Town was spotlessly clean, free parking, no litter, few yellow lines and pot holes, pavements free of weeds, grass verges cut.
October 3, 2026
Well in the EU at least taxing education seems to be banned and in France they keep religious garb, indoctrination… largely out of schools etc.
B Phillipson’s moronic 20% surcharge on school fees is vile, spiteful and totally counterproductive to net tax take and to education. Why is it free for most but you pay four times over to go privately? The claim that is was a tax loophole was an evil lie too.
October 3, 2026
Agree that 20% vat on private school fees was simply a policy of envy and spite.
Does not stop the very wealthy, but simply penalised those who made real efforts to afford such a choice.
After a year, we now have more people in variable quality State schools, but fewer teachers.
Do those MP’s who made the policy care ?
I doubt it !
October 3, 2026
This is nothing to do with EU membership though, Rather it shows that the French care more about their environment than do the English. Mind you, it doesn’t help in that in England, we have a very high proportion of 3rd world immigrants who should be deported.
The general scruffiness of England has been apparent to me from well before EU membership, when I saw how well the environment was cared for in countries such as Norway and Switzerland.
There is no hope of any improvement here.
October 3, 2026
Have you seen the news from France?
Do you honestly think there is not a MASSIVE migrant problem?
October 3, 2026
MWB
Aware it is nothing to do with the EU, simply people’s pride in their own Town/environment, where people respect the rules, and the efficient Council respect the people.
Something we seem to have lost over the years.
October 3, 2026
@Lifelogic – Cameron and the Tories that followed had the right and the power to reverse everything. But as Cameron said to one of his sponsors at dinner, he can’t reverse bad decisions. This sponsor then asked why was he taking the sponsorship money? If I am not helping to enable change what am I sponsoring?
It is why most can only see a Uniparty, a Uniparty that has been in power for the whole of this Century. Each one wants to reinforce Socialism as Socialism is them in control and dictating. The UK’s ‘Ruler’s’ with no other interest but self. It is also why we never got Brexit, May just dreamt up a Socialist fudge so she didn’t have to think, manage and do the job. Its also why Burnham knows he can walk the UK back into the EU, he has the backing of a traitorous Parliament. Burnham will also know Parliament never sort the validation of the will of the People the first time they dragged us in – they just did it, walked way from their job and handed the reins over to unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats
We are trapped we cant find away to intact and cause a democracy so those we pay and lend our powers to live up to the ‘job’ and ‘expectations’. It looks like we have 650 MP’s that refuse to mange the UK for the benefit of the UK and its People
October 3, 2026
We have had a small house in a small village in the Var, South of France for 25 years or so and we like France very much. Alas it too has a tax and regulated to death, net zero, doom loop government – albeit one with rather more cheap nuclear electricity and much of the UKs fishing plus millions from the UK for assisting the migrants on their trip to the UK. But it is clearly not a remotely happy nation currently.
October 3, 2026
It’s not a nation at all. It’s seems that the French State has effectively fallen, it has conceded to the rioters. Seems to me the French routinely concede after the first shot is fired …
Neither is the USA a ‘nation’, that’s why their ‘citizenship’ is so important.
The British tribes (or sub-nations, the English, Irish, Scots and Welsh) are reaching out to each other, the challenges to the native people from aliens might well forge the British nation at pace. Most of us carry more than one of the home tribe’s blood.
The British nation will be formidable, but if we lose then we lose all.
Nail biting times for we Boomers who can now only fight with ideas and words…
October 3, 2026
There was apparently an incident earlier this year. My hairdresser told me there’d been a message sent out on Tik Tok to encourage school pupils to go to war. Her son was terrified…but although four schools were told to go war with four others, it didn’t come to anything. Pupils were sent home or were collected by parents. I thought it was just in my area, Greater London, outer borough, but talking to a friend they said it was elsewhere too. I don’t remember seeing anything in the news, but it could be tried again to rile up high school kids!
October 3, 2026
The ‘Re-set’ is not about trade, opportunities or any such thing, in my humble opinion.
It is purely about hitching our wagon to a bloc that suits the ideology, aspirations, bank balance/perks availability, career opportunities etc. of those who at every turn spit in the face of those they are duty bound to represent.
October 3, 2026
+1
October 3, 2026
@Michelle +1
Its about lazy MP’s wishing to sit on their hands freeload of a nation. Their ‘brain’ (I doubt if the share more than one) cant cope with the job, the job they lied to get
October 3, 2026
It was always thus.
October 3, 2026
11 Change our currency to the Euro
12 No discount which Mrs Margaret Thatcher got us
13 Run by some unelected diplomats in Brussels
October 3, 2026
The deluded think re-joining is a good idea John, and at the moment they are in power and control, indeed over half of our Mp’s never wanted to leave in the first place, and still think it was wrong to leave, no matter how many facts and figures to the contrary you put in front of them.
Most Countries in the World still trade with the EU without any problems, or having to take and obey their rules in their own home Countries.
Yes of course goods need to satisfy all of the World Countries requirements if you want to export to them, as indeed we make such requirements for importing goods into the UK .
Why are our own Mp’s so meek and weak ?
October 3, 2026
@Berkshire Alan – Deluded? or just a bunch of guys wanting to be ordered what to do by others that have no interest as to the fate of the UK or its People
October 3, 2026
Why are our own Mp’s so meek and weak ?
Probably because they are all rather thick remainers.
October 3, 2026
Our host has often explained the benefits gained from Brexit such as increased exports to the rest of the world plus better growth than many EU nations, so why doesn’t an interested organisation provide a simple one-page chart indicating what we have gained that could be shown and, particularly during TV debates, ask those that want to rejoin where it is wrong?
October 3, 2026
That is only the start. Burnham will have us back in the EU via the back door, as junior members before the next scheduled General election.
Democracy in the UK is dead……………..
October 3, 2026
Will Burnham’s get us in before the Fall of the EU?
If so we will have our ‘share’ of their massive debt, no currency, nothing in fact.
October 3, 2026
If only the Political Class did as requested and ‘get Brexit done’ Parliament has shown it can’t be trusted with Democracy.
Basic thing like a Parliament managing the UK for the benefit of the UK and its People. UK Laws and rules proposed through the process of democracy, then amended and repealed by the same means. That is what was meant in leaving the EU.
The Trade thing is over blown and the methods of implementation disproportionate. China doesn’t take EU Laws yet they are the EU’s biggest trading partner. Trump love him or hate him, has has a point about reciprocity, in trade that is all its about. One party ‘dictating’ and as such undermining the democracy of another, that is not trade not mutual respect that is the ‘bully’ in the playground get your way by force of a Dictatorship
October 3, 2026
Good morning.
It is NOT a reset, its REJOINING and should be called just that.
October 3, 2026
You’d expect even the dumbest socialist to understand these points, and maybe some of the brighter ones do, but still they are unwilling to ignore their own ideology that says big is always better.
It’s worse than that though, being a small part of something so big is comforting. Corrupt and bureaucratic, as it is, it gives plenty of opportunities for advancement. Just look at how many presidents there are and nobody ever gets made responsible for mistakes made – it’s almost a fantasy world well away from home protestors and a tricky press.
The EU appeals to the weak of mind that need someone to tell them what to think and what to do. Looking at the performance of Burnham at conference, he could clearly have been helped with a little direction from a higher body.
We should not have to suffer the treacherous sell out by those that want us back in the EU for all the wrong aberrative reasons.
October 3, 2026
Socialist voters understand, this could sink Burnham.
It’s just the political class which is protected from reality, like children, who don’t ‘get’ it.
Any referendum honestly run will show a big swing to Brexit. We must watch the mechanics of voting and counting like a hawk!
October 3, 2026
There will be no deal – if you want a deal talk to Trump. There will be no reset either and Burnham will go only as far as circumstance and the EU allow – cherry picking will not be allowed and in the end there may not even be a UK anymore. This all started with brexit but ongoing chaos in the world has changed everything – so it’s time to get real.
October 3, 2026
Even ardent Europhiles conceded that they wouldn’t join the EU during the referendum debate. They said that leaving was not a good move as we would lose hard won concessions and we were better off in than out but joining would be punitive. Chukka Ummuna was one such and I suspect that an AI search would unearth Lord Khan (T) of DEI with a similar quote.
So rejoining on our previous terms won’t be possible and we won’t be a net recipient like other joiners so we should stay out and very much at arm’s length with reciprocal tariffs and other barriers if the EU choose to use them.
October 3, 2026
From worst to best
A Labour government outside the EU
A Labour government inside the EU
A Centrist government inside the EU
A Centrist government outside the EU
Going back into the EU might seem bad, but not as bad as having a socialist ideological government by a country mile.
October 3, 2026
We can sack any British government that displeases us and do. See the Tories whose politics commands a majority in the country.
Tell me how to get rid of Kaja Kallis?
October 3, 2026
It’s all reminiscent of Theresa May’s ‘Deep and Special Partnership’, wording that Labour has come quite close to using of late. A reminder that successive Conservative governments and prime ministers failed to exit the UK properly from the EU, thereby facilitating a case for ‘reset’ and eventual return to EU membership.
October 3, 2026
we never properly left the EU, there is no democracy here
October 3, 2026
This proposal to rejoin the EU is completely, undemocratic. The nation was asked for its view having been in the EEC/EU for 43 years. The referendum gave a clear instruction to government. No political party has the right to break that decision to leave the EU without a manifesto stating that is their objective.
October 3, 2026
John,
1 A total outline of the reset is not yet agreed , you are therefore a bit early on your potential criticism
2 There is no agreement on any dals for UK to contribute to the EU budget at this stage
3 We in the UK have much lower growth than lots of EU countries like Portugal, Spain Denmark , Poland, Czech Republic, Greece and Slovakia.
4 So once again you are making not substantiated remarks about the EU.
5 Do your homework
Reply We have agreed big payments for Erasmus, admin payments for SPS, fee subsidies for EU students. The main EU economies Euro area slow growth.
October 3, 2026
See ft.com 03/10/2026 ´Does the EU wants Britain back?’.
Not surprisingly the answer to that question seen from the 27 EU countries is much more nuanced and complex than what is bandied around in the dominant UK press.
October 3, 2026
The EU is such a complicated mess of nuisance that would weigh us down.
We are better off free from such a drag on our existence.
October 3, 2026
Of course the EU Reset will be a very bad deal or else the socialists would not be proposing it as socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor. The Mobility Scheme for under 30s is designed to attract to the UK all the EU’s illegal immigrants who will have recently been given EU citizenship with this in mind. They know they can come to the UK and never have to work or integrate. In addition to joining the Euro, to make leaving again much more difficult, the EU will also be demanding a joining fee akin to Heath’s give-away of our fish. Perhaps we will have to give them our North Sea oil and gas assets? The socialists have prepared us for this by saying these assets are not worth a light. Or possibly the loss of territory, or better still, the complete break-up of England and the UK as the EU always planned? This would explain the socialists desire for more England mayors/further devolution and we know that the SNP/Scotland at least would be very happy to leave the UK and belong to the EU. Will we even know the full details of the EU Reset or will some of it be hidden by super injunctions?
October 3, 2026
The facts are so obvious, why would any intelligent person want to take us back into the EU? What’s wrong with our MPs that they can’t see the blindingly obvious? My impression of our new PM is that he has never grown up and is immature. His approach is more communist than anything else: he wants the Government to control everything while talking about devolution. But he will never last until 2029; the financial markets will make sure of that.
I hope the EU make rejoining or closer alignment so financially painful that Burnham just can’t do it.
October 3, 2026
They hope to receive a salary and status without actually doing any work.
October 3, 2026
Rejoining is already prohibitively financially painful. The Maastricht Treaty requires countries to have a debt to GDP ration no more than 60%. No prospect whatsoever the Labour government could tick that box. They say the EU is a rules based organisation, so the UK can’t pick and choose which treaties it adheres to.
October 3, 2026
But logic and common sense play no part in the wish of the left, and much of the centre, to be part of something bigger, rather than be faced with the responsibility of taking the difficult decisions themselves.
The one positive thing to come from Mr Burnham and the Labour Conference, is clarity on how far to the left Labour now is. If Mrs Badenoch is half a person it will give her a real opportunity to offer a truly different path for the Conservatives.
October 3, 2026
Leftist politicians should have the courage of their convictions and propose a new referendum on rejoining. And this time, if the UK does vote to rejoin, we should do so on a full basis – euro, Schengen the lot. I doubt rejoin will win once the debate gets going but better to have that debate and vote than have the likes of burnham whining on about Brexit and seeking to use it – any anything else they can think of – as an excuse for their various failures.
October 3, 2026
Couldn’t agree more.
I think we need to increase our reciprocity to the existing non-tariff barriers that UK businesses and citizens face from the EU in a supposedly ‘free trade’ agreement.