Liberal Democrats unveil plan to re-join EU market and retain UK start-ups

During the second day of its conference, the Liberal Democrats presented a comprehensive economic blueprint. Treasury spokesperson Cooper pledged to strike deals with the EU on the single market, a customs union and defence collaboration, describing the outcome as making Britain safer, stronger and more prosperous. The party claims these agreements will begin to undo the economic damage caused by Brexit.

A further element of the proposal focuses on retaining home-grown start-ups, which often relocate to scale elsewhere, by eliminating barriers to investment, innovation and skills development. Cooper highlighted shortcomings such as insufficient domestic capital, low returns on infrastructure spending and the loss of research-derived products to foreign markets. The plan positions the UK as a central player in Europe and seeks to channel growth back to local communities.