There is a reason why Russia tried to interfere in the Brexit vote: they knew that if we left, it would harm both the United Kingdom and the European Union. They were very clear about this — and, wow, how right they turned out to be. This caused damage to our economic, social, and cultural life. Wales alone lost, net, 1 billion pounds in regional funding that it would have received from the EU. This rupture considerably weakened opportunities — especially for young people — to work, live abroad, and enjoy the freedoms we had before. We could rejoin the Customs Union or the Single Market; but if we did so in isolation, we would merely be 'rule takers' — we would have to accept everything that the EU determined without being at the table to negotiate. As someone in the audience pointed out, the European Union is changing. But that is not a reason for us not to return; on the contrary, it is the ideal reason for us to be inside and help shape it into the kind of Union we want. I don't believe there is any other option but to fully rejoin the bloc. The journalist George Monbiot (working at the BBC) brought this Russian interference back into the spotlight by publicly declaring: “There is a reason why Russia tried to interfere in the Brexit vote: they knew that if we left, it would harm both the United Kingdom and the European Union. They were very clear about this — and, wow, how right they turned out to be. This caused damage to our economic, social, and cultural life. Wales alone lost, net, 1 billion pounds in regional funding that it would have received from the EU. This rupture considerably weakened opportunities — especially for young people — to work, live abroad, and enjoy the freedoms we had before. We could rejoin the Customs Union or the Single Market; but if we did so in isolation, we would merely be 'rule takers' — we would have to accept everything that the EU determined without being at the table to negotiate. As someone in the audience pointed out, the European Union is changing. But that is not a reason for us not to return; on the contrary, it is the ideal reason for us to be inside and help shape it into the kind of Union we want. I don't believe there is any other option but to fully rejoin the bloc.” #Brexit #UniãoEuropeia #AndyBurnham (translated)