Could Britain really rejoin the EU?

Could Britain really rejoin the EU?

Author: Chatham House May 22, 2026 Duration: 37:49

Almost exactly ten years since Britain's seismic vote to leave the EU, the debate reopens thanks to early skirmishes in the fight for leadership of the Labour Party and thus the prime ministership. Could a credible bid to rejoin make its way onto Britain's political agenda? Are the drastically changed economic and defence environments making the case for re-entry unanswerable? And under what terms would European leaders consider the return of their often-troublesome former partner?

Bronwen Maddox talks over a major potential shift for the entire continent with Chatham House visiting fellow Ben Judah, director of our UK in the World programme Olivia O'Sullivan, and associate fellow and Financial Times international trade specialist Alan Beattie. 

Produced by Podmasters for Chatham House.

Read Chatham House's latest:

Comment | A 2026 'super El Niño' could expose gaps in UK preparedness

Comment | China and Russia's strategic duo endures – but its limits are clear

Research paper | Avoiding a new nuclear arms race

Magazine issue | Spring issue of The World Today

Audio | The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧

Audio | Africa Aware podcast 🎧

Follow Independent Thinking on your favourite podcast apps. 


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
One year hard Labour: Why is the UK so difficult to govern? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:55
After a crisis week for Britain's ruling Labour Party, host Bronwen Maddox and Chatham House's Olivia Sullivan are joined by economist Professor Stephen Millard and pollster Joe Twyman to look at the foreign and domestic…
Iran's nuclear programme: destroyed, damaged or intact? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:26
Did US strikes cripple Iran's nuclear programme — or just set the stage for the next crisis? Bronwen Maddox hosts from Jordan, joined by international security expert Marion Messmer and Middle East associate fellow Lina…
What does the Iran-Israel war mean for the region and the world? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:59
Following Israel's strikes on Iran on 13 June, and the subsequent sequence of retaliation and counter retaliation, fears are rising that the conflict could escalate. In this special episode of Independent Thinking (an ed…
Can Britain be great again? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:17
Is Britain chasing faded glory or forging a credible future? As the government lays out its latest spending review, Bronwen Maddox is joined by Jeremy Hunt and Samir Puri to ask whether bold talk of growth, defence and s…
War plan or wish list - The UK Strategic Defence Review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:24
Drones, AI, cyber warfare and nuclear weapons are a key part of the UK's new Strategic Defence Review, along with conventional weapons. Chatham House experts unpack the strategy, spending pledges and how Britain should a…
What's the future for Gaza? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:01
As Gaza reels from staggering humanitarian devastation, Bronwen Maddox speaks with Yossi Mekelberg, Stephen Farrell, and Julie Norman to unpack the political drivers of Israel's war, the role of Donald Trump, and the reg…
Is Brexit finally done? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
Nine years after the Brexit vote, a new UK–EU deal promises smoother trade and deeper cooperation — but is it the end of the Brexit saga or just another chapter? Bronwen Maddox digs into what the deal really means with R…
Can the UK take on the EU, US and China? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:42
As trade tensions, security concerns, and diplomatic crossroads converge, the UK's bid for economic growth faces hard choices on the global stage. In this episode host Bronwen Maddox explores the UK's complex balancing a…
Can India and Pakistan step back from the brink? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:07
Tensions between India and Pakistan have surged following a deadly attack in Kashmir and air strikes by India inside Pakistan. With nuclear risks, regional diplomacy, and rising domestic pressures in play, what could pre…
Ukraine's impossible choice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:33
As Donald Trump floats a controversial peace deal that could leave Ukraine facing territorial losses and NATO exclusion, Kyiv is forced to weigh an impossible choice between sovereignty and survival. Bronwen Maddox speak…