Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated that the option of the UK rejoining the European Union is on the table as the government reviews its long-term strategy for relations with Europe. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the prime minister stated that the current Brexit settlement has caused “more harm than good” and pledged to investigate what measures are practical to repair ties.
This development follows Burnham’s address at the Labour conference on Tuesday, where he promised to explore closer integration with the bloc during a summit rescheduled for later this year. The potential policy shift risks creating a significant political fault line ahead of the next general election, with Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart accusing Labour of attempting to drag the country back into the EU through the “back door” while blaming their economic struggles on votes from over a decade ago.
Burnham’s current stance marks a notable departure from the 2024 Labour manifesto, which committed to making Brexit work and explicitly ruled out rejoining the single market or customs union. His predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, had pursued a more restrained approach focused on aligning food standards, establishing youth visa agreements, and reconnecting British industry to the EU carbon trading scheme.
However, Burnham suggested that the scope of future cooperation should be broader. “We could look at what former Chancellor George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said about the single market, or we could go all the way,” he explained, referring to full EU membership. He acknowledged that while he had advocated for rejoining in the past, it was not certain to remain his position now, adding that the status quo remained a possibility if deemed appropriate.
The prime minister also announced plans to publish a ten-year economic strategy aimed at transforming the UK economy, to be unveiled alongside the rescheduled EU summit. When asked if he wanted the UK to rejoin the bloc, Burnham replied that he simply wished to “look at the options” to ensure Britain’s direction for the coming decade was clear, stating he did not want the question of the EU relationship to remain “hanging.”
Burnham faced criticism from Conservatives for blaming Brexit for losses in immigration and economic control, with Burghart arguing Labour was using the issue to deflect from recent policy failures. Despite the opposition’s response, Burnham insisted he aims to find consensus on a path forward, though he provided few further details on how such agreement would be reached.
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