Move to rejoin EU among options for UK, says Burnham
Burnham said the government will weigh single market, customs union and full membership options as Brexit has hurt growth, he told the BBC.
- On Tuesday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that Brexit has done "more harm than good," promising to outline options for Britain's long-term relationship with the European Union at a planned summit later this year.
- Citing "a decade of low growth" ten years after the 2016 referendum, Burnham signaled a potential move beyond the 2024 Labour manifesto red lines that previously ruled out rejoining the EU's single market or customs union.
- During a Madrid press conference on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the shift, with Macron explicitly telling the UK "Welcome back" to signal the bloc's openness to engagement.
- Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice accused Burnham of "trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door," while Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart warned against reopening the bitter "Brexit wars" that dominated 2016 politics.
- Burnham will present specific options for future partnership at a planned UK-EU summit later this year, seeking political consensus on a viable long-term relationship with Europe's largest trading partner.
492 Articles
492 Articles
When Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as British Prime Minister last July, it was foreseeable that the Brexit debate would reignite.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham mentioned this possibility in a speech at the annual Labour Party Congress. The different scenarios where London and Brussels strengthen their relations are supported by a majority of the British surveyed.
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Why Andy Burnham's Brexit rethink matters — and what it could mean for Labour, Reform and Britain's economy
Andy Burnham’s approach to Brexit could put Britain’s relationship with the European Union back at the centre of the country’s political debate. With Labour facing a growing challenge from Reform and concerns over productivity, trade, costs and economic stagnation, a future election could force voters to consider whether Britain should retain its current Brexit arrangement or move towards closer ties with Europe.
Andy Burnham has opened the door to EU membership
Andy Burnham has opened the door to EU membership ellie.slee.lamb Thu, 01/10/2026 - 17:11 It is far from clear that there is a path to a clear consensus on Europe. 4 Comment Jill Rutter Institute for Government No Brexit International relations Foreign affairs European Union Labour Burnham government No Foreign affairs only surfaced at the end of Andy Burnham’s (long speech) to the Labour conference. A short passage on Ukraine, some mentions o…
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