Ed Davey insists Lib Dems are ‘passionately pro-European’ despite dismissal of Rejoin campaign

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey talks Brexit and his party's position. Photograph: Sky News. - Credit: Archant

Ed Davey has attempted to clarity his party’s position on Brexit, saying that he does not anticipate the public will want to ‘revisit’ the debate in ‘two or three years time’.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats had aggrieved some of the most pro-European supporters in his party by appearing to rule out a rejoin campaign, but working on ensuring Brexit resulted in close ties with the EU.

The party clarified the remarks by insisting that they were undertaking a listening exercise after the last election, but that they would be the most pro-EU offering in the House of Commons, and that they were committed to fighting against Brexit.

Appearing on Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the political leader was asked about the remarks, and whether there would eventually be a rejoin campaign.

‘Look we’ve opposed Brexit, everybody knows that. But the government has got a majority, and they pushed it through, and now the issue is there a going to be a deal, and knowing the shape of that.

‘And beyond that, the issue, can we have relations with our friends and neighbours.

‘We are a pro-European party, I’m passionately pro-European, I want to be as close to our European friends and colleagues as possible, as it’s in the interest of Britain’.

The presenter said his answer meant she was ‘not clear’ on whether there was to be a rejoin movement from the Lib Dems.

‘I can’t see us as the next election being anything other than pro-European, but I also think we need to face the situation as it is.

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‘Britain will have left the European Union, but I think the idea that people want to revisit this in two or three years time, I think that is for the birds.

‘But we will remain passionately pro-European, determined to get the benefits of working with our friends and neighbours’.