The European Green Party has urged European Union leaders and political groups to openly support the possibility of the United Kingdom rejoining the bloc, arguing that closer European
integration is essential for strengthening collective security, economic prosperity and political stability.
Ciarán Cuffe, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, welcomed growing discussions within British politics about reversing Brexit, describing the UK’s return as an important step towards strengthening Europe’s position in an increasingly uncertain international environment.
“Britain’s place is in the European Union. Our shared prosperity and security rely on it,” Cuffe said, emphasising that the EU should pursue enlargement both eastwards and westwards if it is serious about peace, security and strategic autonomy.
The Green Party's renewed appeal follows a declaration adopted by European Green leaders in May 2026, in which representatives of Green parties across Europe confirmed their readiness to welcome Britain back should its population choose to pursue EU membership again.
According to Cuffe, the prospect of British re-entry is no longer confined to political debate on the margins but is increasingly being discussed at the highest levels of government. He pointed to positive reactions from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron, calling on other European political families and national governments to clarify their positions on the issue.
The European Greens believe that a future UK return could also have significant implications for Ireland, particularly regarding the arrangements introduced following Brexit to avoid a hard border on the island.
Cuffe argued that British membership of the EU would remove the need for special customs arrangements across the Irish Sea, potentially eliminating trade-related border checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Under such circumstances, the UK and Ireland would operate within the same EU regulatory framework governing trade.
The question of the Irish border became one of the most complicated issues during Brexit negotiations, resulting in arrangements designed to preserve the open land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland while maintaining the UK's departure from the EU's single market and customs union.
The European Greens have been among the most vocal supporters of British reintegration into the European project. In May 2026, they became the first European political family to explicitly invite the UK to return to the Union, formalising their position in the Declaration of the Green Leadership Council.
Their latest statement signals an effort to turn the growing British debate over EU membership into a broader European political discussion, with Cuffe calling on governments and political groups to establish a clear position on the UK's potential future within the bloc.
Although any return would ultimately depend on a political decision by the British electorate and subsequent negotiations with EU member states, the European Greens have made clear that they would support such a development.
