Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's trade committee and a Brexit-negotiations veteran, told journalists in London that the UK could rejoin the EU's orbit through a "Switzerland plus" arrangement — replicating Switzerland's 2024 framework deal but with added political engagement in EU decision-making. The model would give the UK frictionless single-market access, Erasmus, the electricity market, Digital Europe, and ECDC participation. The price: free movement of people, regulatory alignment, and an annual payment into the EU's cohesion funds. Switzerland pays €375m a year. Lange's framing is notable for what it concedes and what it demands. He openly said the EU misses the UK's voice on open markets and democracy — a rare admission that Brexit left a structural hole in EU governance. But the "plus" in his formulation means the UK would not merely accept rules passively (as Switzerland does) but re-enter some political decision-making. That's closer to EEA-plus than classic Swiss bilateralism, and it raises the stakes for both sides. The immediate backdrop is the Made in Europe fight. The EU's Industrial Accelerator Act would restrict non-EU suppliers from public procurement and corporate fleet contracts. Andy Burnham, backed by Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, is pushing for UK inclusion. France, facing April presidential elections and Marine Le Pen's anti-globalist challenge, opposes it — Lange called France's position "not rational" and "also so emotional." Mercedes's CEO warned the EU would deliberately harm its own car industry by locking the UK out. The Made in Europe timeline is tight. Political approval is expected by late 2026 or early 2027, with 5,100 amendments already tabled in the European Parliament. Lange suggested there could be time to insert UK-inclusion clauses during the parliamentary scrutiny process, but the window is narrow. A French-German compromise was reportedly close on Thursday: include the UK if it aligns with the EU's 2024 tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The core tension is that every pathway back to EU alignment runs through the same chokepoint: free movement. Boris Johnson rejected a Swiss-style deal specifically because of it. Labour's current negotiating team, led by trade minister Anas Sarwar, has not publicly endorsed anything close to free movement, and UK public opinion remains split. Lange acknowledged the decision is "entirely in the hands of the UK" — which is diplomatic code for "the offer is on the table, but we know you can't take it yet." Locking the UK out of Made in Europe could also trigger a legal dispute under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which guarantees barrier-free goods access to the single market provided UK products meet EU standards. If new procurement rules effectively override that access, the TCA's dispute mechanisms come into play — adding legal risk to an already fraught political negotiation. What Lange is really doing is setting a floor for future talks. By naming "Switzerland plus" publicly, he's establishing that the EU's door is open at a specific level of ambition — not full membership, not the thin TCA, but something in between that could be negotiated quickly if political will materialises. The question is whether any UK government in the next decade can pay the political price of free movement to walk through it.
