The UK Prime Minister’s recent hints at rejoining the EU or its single market have sparked debate across Brussels and Westminster. But to what extent would a closer relationship actually change daily life for Brits in Europe? We asked our readers, and here’s what you had to say.
It was the speech that launched a thousand headlines and likely several more eye-rolls across the continent.
Speaking to the BBC at the Labour Party conference, the UK’s newest Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who only succeeded previous UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July, finally broke a long-standing political taboo in Westminster: Britain’s reentry to the European Union.
It didn’t take long for Europe’s leaders to respond. French President Emmanuel Macron offered a warm “Welcome back” in English, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised Spain would open its arms to a “brotherly people”.
Official reaction from Brussels remains pragmatic, however. While acknowledging that the shift in tone improves the atmosphere, EU officials insist on clear proposals rather than a return to Brexit-era political infighting.
And, with a recent opinion poll showing over half of UK voters favour rejoining, it’s clear that the debate is far from settled. But, a decade on from the referendum, with post-Brexit life having settled into some kind of norm in most of Europe for a while now, what would a rapprochement—or an eventual return to freedom of movement—actually mean for the millions of Brits living across the EU?
We reached out to British members of The Local’s community to find out.
An end to red tape
For many readers, the main draw of returning to the EU is not based on political ideology, but very real, personal day-to-day hurdles.
Under current post-Brexit rules, bringing non-EU spouses to the UK or helping elderly relatives move closer involves income thresholds, health surcharges and strict visa criteria.
“My Swedish partner and I have been together for 35 years”, said Samantha, who retired with her partner in Sweden after decades in the UK. “Now that we are retired, we would love to spend much more meaningful time with our Swedish family… without constantly being split up.”
Jason, another reader based in Sweden, echoed the sentiment: “My wife and I could move to the UK together without needing to meet any income requirements or paying the NHS tax, or my ageing mother could move over here to be nearer us so we could take care of her.”
In France, Louisa highlighted how freedom of movement protects cross-generational care: “My parents could come and live with me at any point if needed, regardless of their dependency on me.”
For cross-border families, status discrepancies are also a headache. Eva, who lives in Sweden, pointed out: “Being a family that’s British and Swedish… we have two family members with Settled Status and two with British passports. Rejoining would be far more helpful for EU/British families like ours.”
The next generation
While many long-term British nationals in Europe have secured their own residency status through permanent residency or local citizenship, many complain that their children have missed out on full EU rights.
“My kids could have the right to live and work anywhere in Europe, even if they don’t get French nationality,” said Louisa in France.
In Spain, Andrea shared a similar concern. “My kids, born here with British resident parents, would have freedom of movement again,” she said.
For others, regaining EU-wide movement opens up long-delayed plans which impact not just Brits, but their partners and families, too. Simon, a Briton currently based in Australia with his Danish wife, said that a shift in rules “would mean our retirement plans can go ahead—currently, we’re not able to easily retire to Denmark.”
Banking bother
For many, Brexit introduced daily operational headaches that made even accessing their own money complicated and enjoying the same mundane experiences prohibitively expensive.
Max, who lives in Norway, listed the ongoing “frictions” of post-Brexit life: “Since Brexit, it’s become nearly impossible to maintain a UK bank account without jumping through multiple hoops. Car insurance for short trips… has become harder, and restrictions on taking foodstuffs back and forth have become tougher,” he said.
Import duties on online shopping and care packages are another common frustration.
Dave in France wished “we could purchase vehicles or buy online without facing import duties again.” Ifran in Denmark agreed; “I could get Christmas presents without paying extra delivery tolls… and avoid the process of getting separate passports for the children.”
For some British nationals who have become fully integrated in their adopted homeland, such as Debbie in Spain, this is the central metric that would change for them if the UK were to rejoin. She said, “To be fair, living here so long, it wouldn’t affect me much other than buying stuff with no import duties.”
‘Not much would change’
In fact, not every Brit in Europe felt their lives would be transformed if the UK were to rejoin. Particularly for those who have already integrated or secured local citizenship, the practical impact would be minimal.
Jonathan, living in France on a 10-year Carte de Séjour, felt it wouldn’t change his daily life “very much at all frankly,” though he admitted it would reduce hassle for newcomers. Mark, also in France, added: “Not a lot [would change]—France is my home, I am French, but fiercely proud to be English!”
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In Norway, Jane agreed.
“I have permanent residency here and a citizenship application in process. I don’t plan to move back to the UK… The only real difference might be for family or friends wanting to move abroad,” she said.
Cultural comforts
Despite many respondents living in some of the objective food capitals of the world, a longing for Marks & Spencer’s did come up more times than we care to admit.
Rejoining the single market would ease strict agricultural import bans that have made sourcing specific UK products difficult for years. For Seamas in France, the primary benefit comes down to the simple words: “M&S marmalade.”
In Italy, Bethia looked forward to buying “Haggis from Scotland again,” while Hilary missed “Christmas pudding, clotted cream, black pudding, and Ribena. Italy may be a culinary playground, but culture is culture!”
