# Osborne: rejoin the customs union

> The chancellor who sat in the cabinet that called the referendum now says Brexit wrecked trade, and names the one fix he thinks is easy.
- Title: Osborne: rejoin the customs union · the Guardian | Shortify
- Summary: The chancellor who sat in the cabinet that called the referendum now says Brexit wrecked trade, and names the one fix he thinks is easy. Rejoining the…
- Keywords: brexit, uk economy, trade, customs union, george osborne, news, world, Osborne, rejoin, customs, union, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/13/george-osborne-calls-for-uk-to-rejoin-eu-customs-union-and-boost-trade
- Published: 2026-09-13T10:48:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brexit, uk economy, trade, customs union, george osborne, news, world
## Off a cliff
George Osborne says Britain's economy fell off a cliff after Brexit and is plainly poorer than it would have been otherwise.

> Brexit has been a mess. Britain has basically gone off a cliff.
## Who is saying it
Osborne was in David Cameron's cabinet when the referendum was called, and Theresa May sacked him after the vote. That makes the verdict sting.
## The one fix
Rejoining the EU is a hard sell a decade on. The customs union, Osborne argues, is a smaller and faster move.

> I would rejoin the customs union. It's a quite simple thing to do.
## Nobody voted for this
Leaving the customs union was never debated in 2016. Osborne says voters did not know it was on the table, and trade took the hit.

> No one knew we were leaving it and it has had a devastating impact on trade.
## The American deals never came
Staying out was justified by the blockbuster trade deals Britain would strike with the US. Osborne calls that fanciful now.

> That all looks pretty fanciful now.
## No free movement attached
Unlike the single market, the customs union does not require accepting free movement of people. Osborne points at Andy Burnham to make the case.

> It's a pretty straightforward decision.
## Key takeaway

Rejoining the customs union is the cheapest lever on UK growth, because it fixes trade without reopening free movement.