World · 18 June 2026
Barnier: UK could keep old EU opt-outs
Nicolas Richoffer via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
This statement from a key EU figure challenges previous assumptions about rejoining the bloc. Michel Barnier, the EU's former chief Brexit negotiator, said on Thursday that Britain could regain its special terms if it rejoined. He believes the UK could keep the pound and stay outside the Schengen travel area, citing existing precedents for opt-outs.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs