UK offered EU single market return in exchange for nuclear shield plan

By Alimat Aliyeva

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been presented with a proposal to extend the UK’s nuclear deterrent across Europe in exchange for Britain rejoining the EU Single Market for goods, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.

The proposal was put forward by former Conservative MP Nick Boles, who has called for the creation of a “European Confederation” linking the EU’s free trade arrangements with NATO’s defence commitments, according to Anadolu.

Under the plan, Britain would commit to spending 3.5% of its gross domestic product on defence and extend its nuclear umbrella to European countries not currently covered by the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent.

Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway and countries in the Western Balkans would also be invited to participate in the proposed framework, according to The Telegraph.

In return, Britain would be offered access to the EU Single Market for goods without being required to accept freedom of movement or join the eurozone.

Boles argued that Europe needed a new approach to security cooperation amid uncertainty over the future of US commitments to European defence.

“If we're trying to do a bilateral negotiation in which we try to persuade the EU to have us have access to the single market for goods, we will fail,” Boles told The Telegraph.

He said a broader proposal addressing European security concerns, including the war in Ukraine, could make a UK-EU agreement more attractive to Brussels.

“We can explain this isn't just a selfish British deal, it's a deal you can use to solve other problems yourselves,” he said.

The proposal comes after The Telegraph reported that former Prime Minister Keir Starmer had approached the EU over granting Britain access to the Single Market for goods.

According to the newspaper, Brussels rejected the proposal, arguing that the bloc was unwilling to offer Britain special treatment while the UK remained outside the EU.

Separately, a UK government source told The Telegraph that officials were developing proposals aimed at deepening cooperation between Britain and the EU.

The proposals are expected to be discussed later this year, according to the report.