THE LibDems have been accused of “throwing in the towel” after leader Ed Davey said the UK rejoining the EU is “currently off the table”.
The LibDems had previously campaigned to “stop Brexit” and rejoin the bloc, but the party's stance is now in line with the Tories and Labour.
Davey said that people on the doorstep just “aren’t talking about Europe” ahead of the party’s conference in Bournemouth this weekend.
“We want Britain to be back at the heart of Europe but we’re also realistic that’s going to take some time,” Davey told the BBC.
The LibDem policy is to “rebuild” Britain's relationship with the EU, which Davey says amounts to a “root and branch” reform of the Tories' “dreadful” deal.
It is similar to language used by Keir Starmer (below) in recent weeks, where the Labour leader suggested he would seek to make a better deal with Brussels. However, his comments were dubbed a “political lie” and debunked by experts.
The LibDems would also seek closer links with the bloc on education, deepening trade ties and making a deal regarding asylum seekers.
"We're the party of trying to make sure that relationship works," Davey added.
The SNP said Davey’s comments showed that they are now the “only major party committed to rejoining the EU”.
It comes after Labour doubled down on their support for Brexit, after comments made by Starmer appeared to show another shift in his approach to the bloc.
"We've left the European Union and we're not going back in any form,” a Labour spokesperson said.
“We don't support dynamic alignment. We're not joining the single market or the customs union."
Alyn Smith MP (below), the SNP’s Europe and EU accession spokesperson, said: "The SNP will fight the next election as the only major party committed to rejoining the EU – and the only party with a plan to escape Brexit and regain Scotland's place in Europe.
"With Starmer, Sunak and Davey – The Three Bungling Brexiteers of UK politics – all throwing in the towel and ruling out any return to Europe, it's clear independence is Scotland's only route back to EU prosperity and the only escape from the long-term damage of Brexit.
"Scottish voters will not forgive the Brexit parties for the huge damage they are causing to Scotland's economy.
“Neither the Labour Party or the LibDems can credibly claim to offer a better future when they are both wedded to Brexit, which has cost Scotland's economy billions, sent the cost of living soaring and set the UK on the path to long-term decline.
"At the next election, voting SNP is the only way to secure independence and escape Brexit – so Scotland can build a strong and prosperous economy at the heart of Europe."
It comes ahead of an SNP pro-EU roadshow event in Dundee on Friday, where Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn MP and Smith will discuss the economic benefits of Scotland regaining its EU membership as an independent country.
And, a Scottish Government white paper on an independent Scotland in the EU is expected “shortly” after being trailed in the summer.
