Even the most ardent Remainers admit rejoining the EU is a distant prospect

David Gauke and Andrew Adonis argued for a step-by-step approach to a closer UK-EU relationship at The Independent’s event to mark the fifth anniversary of the EU referendum, writes John Rentoul

The Independent’s EU referendum anniversary event was held on Zoom (The Independent )

How will Britain rejoin the EU and when will it happen? Those were the most popular questions from Independent readers at our event last night to mark the fifth anniversary of the referendum vote to leave.

Our guest speakers, David Gauke and Andrew Adonis, former cabinet ministers for different parties, agreed that in the short term the instability of the Brexit deal would push the UK into a closer relationship with the EU, but that rejoining was as yet a distant prospect.

Lord Adonis, speaking with a picture of St Pancras station as his Zoom background, said that he was about to set off to Brussels to negotiate our joining the EU. He said that in the meantime the only way Boris Johnson’s government can stabilise the relationship is “by taking a significant step towards the EU”.