Tory Backed Report Says Closer Ties With The EU Will Help Boost Growth

Senior Conservative figures have called on the Government to soften the post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, arguing that pushing for closer ties with the UK's most important trading partner is "not some assault on sovereignty".

Former minister Stephen Hammond and ex-Tory MP David Lidington, who served as de facto deputy to former prime minister Theresa May, say in a report published on Wednesday that the Conservatives and Labour should seek to dismantle post-Brexit barriers between the UK and the EU, arguing that it will help boost the economy and enjoy public backing.

The pair believe the mood between London and Brussels has improved significantly since the acrimony of the Brexit years, and that the UK should look to take advantage of the warmer relations by pushing for a number of friction-easing agreements.

Hammond told PoliticsHome securing even just some of the suggestions set out in their report, based on interviews with over 40 companies, would represent "another stepping stone towards more normal relations after a very messy divorce".

“The mood on both sides has changed quite dramatically," said the MP for Wimbledon.

"There has been a rebuilding of trust and now there’s more willingness to talk about ideas.”

Lidington, who was Europe minister for six years while in the House of Commons, said the UK ought to be more "clear sighted" about the importance of the EU relationship to the national interest, telling PoliticsHome that reducing friction will help boost economic growth.

“It is not a panacea," argued the former Cabinet minister.

"Low growth, low productivity and low competitiveness in this country go back decades, and span many different governments.

"But the removal of ted tape, friction and the cost of