Good luck getting this past the Labour government. They are firmly rooted to remaining (excuse the pun) outside the EU. This is even before you attempt to get it past Conservative opposition or fringe party Reform nutters.

If the party in power isn’t going to champion this then it’s an instant no go.

I am a strong supporter of the EU, and won’t sign this. This country is too xenophobic, fractious, reactionary, and delusionally self-important to let them back into the union when it’s still reeling from the damage the UK caused just a few years ago.

If the UK is serious about rejoining, it will first have to stop treating EU membership like a glorified trade agreement and stepping stone to national power and influence. The EU needs community members and partners, not self-aggrandising parasites.

These petitions are utterly pointless. Has there ever been a case where something has changed due to one of these petitions?

Also, the government responded to this back in November:

The Government was elected on a manifesto that made clear there will be no return to EU membership. However, we are determined to reset the UK-EU relationship, putting it on a more solid footing.

I wanted to stay in the EU but I don’t want to rejoin.

Just look at whats going on in Hungary where Viktor Orban is essentially a dictator, and is holding back the EU on it’s Ukraine response. Look at Poland where it skirted past descent into a right wing nightmare, and even now the leftwing government are struggling at unpicking the damage. Look at the Czech Republic where it looks very likely a right wing populist government is going to take power - they’re also against Ukraine. And look at France, which is in political turmoil internally - right winger Le Pen has a good chance of being the next french president unless the centre and left can unite around an alternative.

The EU is powerless to deal with Orban, was powerless to deal with Poland as the right wing government tried to dismantle their democracy and institutions. We’ve already seen what’s happening in the US play out in Europe - twice! And the EU could do nothing.

We’re better off outside the EU at the moment. I never wanted to leave, but the UK is lucky to be outside the EU as it gives us a degree of flexibility and freedom to deal with the current crisis. We don’t need to be distracted by the internal problems of the EU and it’s rogue member states. Instead we’re working directly with the countries that want to work with us like France and Germany, and not having to deal with the countries that don’t like Hungary.

I wish the EU the best - I want it to succeed but ultimately it has a serious problem with how you get things done when you have countries inside holding back the EU from pursuing it’s best interests. The EU leaders talk big about grand plans and high ideals including now over defence and Ukraine, but when it comes to getting things done it only takes 1 country’s veto and there is paralysis or weak compromises. The EU needs to reform and become an actual democratic superstate but it won’t happen because again it only takes 1 country to veto progress. It’s clear Hungary will be holding the EU back when it comes to Putin for the foreseeable future. And maybe soon so will the Czech republic. And what happens in the EU if Le Pen is president of France?

No thanks.

We’ll rejoin but you need to be patient. Give it 10 years and we’ll be in the customs union, 15 and we’ll be back to where we were in 2016 with less opt-outs.

TBH I hope the EU rejects them if they do apply.