Opinion: Britain belongs in Europe and Greater Cambridge knows it

A version of this article by Cllr Bridget Smith, Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, was first published in Cambridge Independent on 07 October 2026.

I feel lucky to live in South Cambridgeshire. I’m glad to live in a part of the country that on the most part looks outwards, not inwards.

Our universities, businesses, hospitals, research institutions and communities have always been international in outlook. People come here from across Europe and the rest of the world to study, to work, to raise families and build their lives. 

We all benefit from the diversity, culture and talent that “the Cambridge Phenomenon” brings to our area. We live, work and go to school in an international city.

Greater Cambridge's success has never happened in isolation. Our universities and research institutions depend on international collaboration. Our knowledge intensive industries recruit talent from across Europe and wider. Our NHS and care services have benefited enormously from people who have chosen to make this country their home. Our economy relies on being connected to markets, ideas and people beyond our borders.

In part, that’s why the damage Brexit has done to our relationship with our European partners feels particularly painful here.

The argument for rebuilding those relationships is not about refighting the arguments of 2016. It is about recognising where we are now and asking what kind of relationship Britain wants with the countries that are, quite literally, our closest neighbours.

The answer should be simple. We want a relationship based on friendship, cooperation and mutual benefit. We want Britain at the heart of Europe.

And this is not just an economic question.

South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge are communities that have shown, time and again, that they want to be welcoming places. When Ukrainians were forced from their homes by Putin's invasion, people across our villages, towns and city opened their homes and communities to families fleeing war. Councils, charities, faith groups, schools and ordinary residents stepped forward to help.

That tells us something important about ourselves.

Being part of Europe is not simply about membership of an institution headquartered in Brussels. It is about the relationships we build with our neighbours and the values we share - democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the belief that we are stronger when we work together.

There are many steps between where we are today and full membership of the European Union. Improving arrangements for young people to study and work across borders, making it easier for scientists and researchers to collaborate, reducing unnecessary barriers to trade, and strengthening cooperation on security, climate change and the environment would all make a real difference.

And ultimately, my Lib Dem colleagues and I believe we should rejoin the European Union.

That does not mean pretending that every problem facing Britain would magically disappear through rejoining the EU. It means recognising that our long-term interests are bound up with those of our European neighbours, and that closer relationships give us more opportunities to solve shared problems together.

For Greater Cambridge in particular, this matters. We are home to people whose work depends on international collaboration. We are building communities where people from different countries and backgrounds live alongside one another. We want our young people to have opportunities to travel, study and work abroad. And we want our businesses to be able to attract talent, develop partnerships and sell their products without unnecessary barriers.

We cannot allow ourselves to accept that becoming less connected to our nearest neighbours is somehow the natural end point for our country. Britain can and should choose a different direction.

We can rebuild trust with our European friends. We can make it easier for people to move, study, work and collaborate. We can strengthen the ties between our communities. And we can have an honest national conversation about what closer integration, including membership of the European Union, could mean for our country.

Greater Cambridge has always been a place that looks outwards. Our European partners are our friends, our colleagues, our families and our neighbours. It is time to start building those bridges again.