French Finance Minister Roland Lescure invited Britain to rejoin the European Union after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham signalled that a second Brexit referendum was "possible" in a future Labour election manifesto.
Lescure told the BBC that Britain could "come back, anytime" and that rejoining would allow the country to participate in EU decision-making. He said: "British people decided, and that's obviously their 100% right, and if they're willing to come back, they will have to decide."
The invitation comes as Burnham has expressed concerns about the EU's planned Made In Europe scheme. The proposals aim to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies. Burnham warned that the rules could damage British industry and supply chains.
The EU's car industry has called for the UK to be included in the scheme to prevent disruption to its own supply chains. Lescure responded to concerns about Britain being excluded by saying: "Come back, and you'll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together."
Burnham recently said the UK needed to "consider the options" regarding its EU relationship. Those options range from maintaining the status quo, to rejoining the customs union or single market, or, according to Burnham, going "all the way" to full EU membership.
Lescure acknowledged that EU membership comes with difficulties but argued that membership enables countries to better address global challenges. The finance minister also addressed broader French concerns during the BBC interview, touching on domestic issues including student protests over school conditions and France's budget deficit.
Lescure said France's annual public borrowing exceeds 5% of GDP, which he described as "alarming." He pledged to cut health spending and ask retired people to accept below-inflation pension increases next year. He also said his budget "will pass" French parliament despite current fractious divisions, though he did not specify how.