In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie talks about the future of European Union-United Kingdom relations with Bruegel’s Heather Grabbe and Richard Corbett, a former UK Labour Party MEP and also a former advisor to a president of the European Council. Did Brexit turn out the way its supporters hoped, and what have been the economic costs? Will the UK look to rejoin the single market any time soon? The EU has a slate of prospective new members lined up for closer relations who could take priority, especially Ukraine, whose candidacy has been fast-tracked because of the ongoing war. How does Kyiv’s progress affect British prospects? Would the UK have to join the euro if it wanted to come back fully? Are other kinds of relationships possible? With global uncertainty higher than ever, the UK and the EU still have great incentive to work together.Relevant research: García Bercero, I. and H. Grabbe (2025) 'The EU-UK reset: a first, big step in the right direction', First Glance, Bruegel Grabbe, H. (2026) 'Symbolic membership for Ukraine could bring practical security benefits to the EU', First Glance, Bruegel Berg, J., R. Chritie and H. Geeroms (2026) 'The UK is still not ready for real rapprochement with the European Union', First Glance, Bruegel Corbett, R. (2026) 'Institutional aspects of Ukrainian accession to the EU', Policy Brief, FEPS Corbett, R. (2026) 'Is Britain considering a return to the EU?', Comment, Encompass Corbett, R. (2026) 'Rejoining the EU Quickly is a Realistic Prospect', 26 May, International Policy Digest

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.