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| UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham tells BBC that rejoining the EU is among three options to reshape UK-Europe relationship. |
London — UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has suggested that rejoining the European Union is among options his government could examine to reshape Britain's long-term relationship with Europe.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, Burnham said Britain needs to decide its future and cannot leave the question “just hanging” 10 years after the Brexit vote.
He outlined three options he will discuss at a UK-EU summit slated for November:
- Customs Union – as proposed by former Chancellor George Osborne
- Single Market – as proposed by the Liberal Democrats
- Full Rejoin – “go all the way” and rejoin the EU
“We could stay as we are, that's definitely an option. We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union. We could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market. Or we could go all the way,” Burnham said.
The comments come a day after his keynote speech at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, where he said Brexit had “done more harm than good” and caused “a decade of low growth.”
Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as PM in July and previously campaigned to Remain in 2016, said he has always hoped Britain would rejoin the EU in his lifetime. He stressed he will respect Labour’s 2024 manifesto — which ruled out rejoining the single market or customs union — during this parliament, but wants to seek a fresh mandate at the next general election in 2029.
This is the first time since the 2016 referendum that a sitting UK Prime Minister has openly said rejoining the EU could be campaigned for.
