Becoming a ‘second-class’ member of the European Union doesn’t sound awfully appealing on first glance at today’s Times story.
But the ‘associate membership’ being considered by the Union of European Federalists would see Britain remain in the single market but lose its commissioner in Brussels and eventually its MEPs, too. Those drawing up this version of the new treaty also envisage that there would continue to be a seat at the Court of Justice for Britain.
The big question for the eurosceptics I’ve spoken to this morning is whether Britain could have what one Tory MP described as a common market, rather than single market agreement, whereby it abides by EU trade regulations when doing business with France, for example, but is not subject to those regulations when manufacturing goods for trade with the US or China.
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