Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband has claimed Brexit is costing the UK up to £30 billion annually, describing the decision to leave the European Union as an act of “sabotage” that continues to damage the British economy.
Writing in Sir Anthony Seldon’s new book, *The Brexit Effect*, Miliband argues that the economic consequences of Brexit are equivalent to imposing a significant tax burden on the country and warns that Britain risks further decline unless it rebuilds closer ties with Europe.
He wrote: “Britain remains a European country. We need to behave like one, cooperate like we understand its implications and realise that the rest of the world does not owe us anything.”
“If we don’t get our act together, more fool us. We need to renew our cooperation that has been sabotaged by Brexit.”
Miliband urged the Labour government to give fresh political momentum to strengthening relations with the European Union, arguing that standing still would carry a growing economic cost.
“We are suffering a punishing Brexit tax every day,” he said.
“Estimates put the cost of being outside the customs union at 0.5–1 per cent of GDP, so of the order of £15–30bn a year.”
“We simply cannot afford to stand still on these matters.”
His intervention comes as debate over Britain’s future relationship with Europe returns to the political spotlight.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently suggested that stronger ties with Europe would form part of Labour’s strategy to boost economic growth and create opportunities for younger generations.
Starmer said he believed Brexit had “held back our young people” and pledged not to allow it to limit future opportunities.
Miliband, who narrowly lost the Labour leadership contest to his brother Ed Miliband in 2010, also argued that Brexit has weakened investment, productivity and employment.
He pointed to research suggesting business investment is between 12% and 18% lower than it would have been without Brexit, while employment and productivity are estimated to be 3% to 4% below projected levels.
The former cabinet minister also challenged claims that Brexit has solved immigration concerns.
“Let’s remember that when we were members of the EU, we had the right to deport every person who arrived in a small boat from France back to the country in which they first touched European soil,” he wrote.
“Orderly, fair and speedy migration rules and decisions are in the interests of refugees as well as host populations.”
Miliband warned that growing geopolitical instability makes closer cooperation with European partners more important than ever.
“We face a common threat from an increasingly anarchic form of ‘might makes right’ globalisation,” he said.
“We need to look for stabilising buoys in this stormy sea.”
He added that Britain should focus not on restoring past dominance but on recovering “the moral clarity and political vision of who we are and what we stand for”.