French Finance Minister Roland Lescure invited Britain to rejoin the European Union during a BBC interview, telling the country to "come back, anytime" after Prime Minister Andy Burnham signalled a second Brexit referendum was "possible" in a future Labour election manifesto.
Lescure acknowledged that British voters had the right to decide their own future. "If they're willing to come back, they will have to decide," he said. He framed EU membership as difficult but necessary to address global challenges facing the bloc's members.
Burnham had recently flagged three options for Britain's relationship with the EU, ranging from maintaining the status quo to rejoining the customs union or single market, or "going all the way" back into full membership. The prime minister also warned that planned EU rules to help European manufacturers would damage the UK. The Made In Europe scheme aims to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies.
When asked about the possibility of Britain being excluded from the scheme, Lescure said: "Come back, and you'll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together." The EU's car industry has called for the UK to be included in the arrangement to prevent disruption to its own supply chains.
Beyond Brexit, Lescure addressed challenges facing France itself. More than 500 schools across the country were fully or partially shut as of Wednesday due to student protests calling for better school conditions. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to voice their concerns.
Lescure said he understood young people's anxiety about their future in "a tough world." He acknowledged the budget constraints facing France, noting it is difficult to tell young people there is no money for education when resources go toward health and pensions. "We're getting people more healthy. People live longer. But we cannot just say 'this is fine' and then we don't have money left for the kids, so we need to rebalance that," he said.
In France's upcoming budget, Lescure said he will cut health spending and ask retired people to accept a below-inflation pension rise. He promised further investment in education but did not commit to specific amounts, saying "if we need to do more, we'll have to see."
Lescure also addressed France's budget deficit, which exceeds 5 percent of its gross domestic product. He described the figure as "alarming" and said action was needed immediately to avoid forced measures later. Despite rising borrowing costs, he said there was "no issue" with issuing French debt.