New Scottish Labour leader calls on UK to rejoin EU

The new leader of the Scottish Labour Party on Tuesday called on the British government to reverse Brexit and rejoin the bloc. In his first major speech in the role, Michael Marra, who took office in September, said it is time for Britain to reverse Brexit, Scottish daily The National reported. "It is in Scotland's interests, and in the interests of the whole United Kingdom, for the UK to rejoin the European Union," he said at an event at Edinburgh University.

"I don't pretend it will happen quickly. But I believe we should set it as a long-term objective for the UK, and that Scotland should lead the change in making that happen," Marra added. Amid intensified debate in the UK, Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office last month clarified his position on a possible return to freedom of movement with the EU after calling for an "honest discussion" on the issue. In a statement, a Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister was not proposing a return to freedom of movement or any particular option.

The comments some in the runup to the second annual EU-UK Summit after the UK's withdrawal from the EU, set to take place in Brussels on Nov. 20, as Burnham previously said that he was trying to get a better deal for the country at the summit.