Germany has vowed to help Britain back into the EU after Andy Burnham this week hinted at another Brexit referendum.
Susanne Baumann, the German ambassador to the UK, said Britain ‘will always find a partner’ in Berlin.
It comes after the Prime Minister on Wednesday provoked anger by declaring that the UK could go ‘all the way’ back into the EU, suggesting he could betray the 2016 vote.
Mr Burnham had told the Labour Party conference he wanted to ‘draw a line under a decade of division’.
He said: ‘I can’t avoid the Europe question if I’m to put out a credible ten-year plan for Britain, that’s why I’ve started this process.’
Berlin’s ambassador Ms Baumann said she was ‘glad’ Mr Burnham had hinted at Britain rejoining the EU, adding that the UK is ‘an integral part of Europe’.
Susanne Baumann, the German ambassador to the UK, has said Berlin would help Britain rejoin the European Union
It comes after PM Andy Burnham hinted at betraying the 2016 vote with a second referendum on EU membership
She told The Telegraph: ‘For us Germans, the UK is an integral part of Europe – its history, its present and its future. I was therefore glad to hear the Prime Minister speak about different options for the UK’s relationship with Europe.
‘It is, of course, for the British people to decide how close they want that relationship to be. But let me be clear: in Germany you will always find a partner for setting the ambition as high as we can.’
Her support comes after Emmanuel Macron said it would be ‘very good news’ if Mr Burnham betrayed the 2016 vote.
On Tuesday the French president declared that Brexit was the ‘biggest lie of the last 30 years’ in a speech taking aim at Britain’s economic woes.
Speaking in Madrid during a state visit on Tuesday evening, Mr Macron also highlighted Britain’s on-running battle to control immigration since 2016.
He said: ‘Brexit is the biggest lie of the last 30 years. Those who said, “we’ll be richer” – eight points less of GDP ten years later.
‘Who said, “we’ll solve the problem of immigration” – it’s more complicated than before. And who said, “we’re going to be a huge success in international trade” – it’s even worse.’
Mr Macron’s comments were echoed by Spain and Ireland following Mr Burnham’s suggestion at another referendum.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said he would welcome the UK back with ‘open arms’, while Irish minister Neale Richmond described Brexit as a ‘disaster for the UK’.
He said the referendum was a ‘bad idea’, adding that Ireland would ‘welcome’ Britain’s return to the EU.
But the Prime Minister’s comments infuriated Nigel Farage, who declared that a second referendum would ‘divide the country bitterly in a way perhaps we’ve never before seen‘.
Germany is the EU’s largest economy and is considered the most influential country in the bloc.
Its support in helping the UK rejoin therefore could help smooth over negotiations with Brussels.
But despite the Prime Minister’s comments, experts have warned of economic disaster if he tried to reverse the 2016 vote as it could cause another drought of investment in Britain.
‘The protracted uncertainty created by negotiating the UK’s exit caused a sharp drop in business investment,’ said Simon French, of Panmure Liberum, an investment banking firm which previously backed the Remain campaign.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reacted with fury after Mr Burnham’s comments, declaring that a second referendum would ‘divide the country bitterly’
He added that if Britain were to enter negotiations with Brussels about rejoining the bloc, this ‘would likely have the same impact’ due to ‘question marks over any offsetting benefits’.
Meanwhile, Julian Jessop, of the pro-Brexit think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, suggested businesses could be panicked by the prospect and how existing trade deals or future regulations could affect them.
If the UK voted to overturn the 2016 result, it would have to undergo the same EU admission process as other hopeful member-states.
And sources in Europe declared that Britain would have to conform once again to the bloc’s regulations, meaning the country cannot expect to keep all the opt-outs from EU law.
The UK would also be forced to pay an extra £5billion per year every year to Brussels than it did before Brexit, despite Margaret Thatcher having secured the budget rebate in 1984, exempting Britain from the charge.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: ‘The UK is a close and valued partner of the European Union.
‘It is for the UK Government to set out how it wishes to develop its relationship with the EU.’
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