French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have welcomed suggestions that the United Kingdom may seek to rejoin the European Union, following remarks by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham that he has not ruled out the possibility.
During a visit to Madrid on Wednesday, Macron told Sanchez: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans.” He added with a smile in English: “Welcome back.”
However, Macron stressed that any renewed relationship must be on an equal footing. “You cannot choose between the freedoms of the union and decide to take what suits us and not the rest,” he said, emphasizing that the UK could not cherry-pick access while remaining outside the bloc.
Sanchez echoed the sentiment, describing Brexit as “a huge loss, both for the British population and for the whole European project.” He said Spain would “applaud” and “open its arms again to a brotherly people” if the UK pursued membership once more.
A European Commission spokesperson, Balazs Ujvari, said the EU remains open to dialogue. “The UK is a close and valued partner of the European Union. It is for the UK government to set out how it wishes to develop its relationship with the EU going forward,” he said.
Burnham made his comments ahead of a UK-EU summit scheduled for November. In an interview with the BBC, he said London should explore a range of options, from maintaining the current arrangement to joining the EU single market, entering a customs union, or pursuing full membership.
At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Burnham said Brexit “has done more harm than good” and promised to present different options for the UK-EU relationship closer to the November talks.
Nevertheless, moving closer to the EU—or rejoining—could provoke intense domestic debate. Although polls suggest a majority of Britons favor rejoining, proposals such as adopting the euro or increasing budget contributions are likely to face fierce opposition. The UK would also not receive the same exemptions it held during its previous membership.
For now, Burnham remains bound by the 2024 Labour Party manifesto, which ruled out rejoining the EU and returning to the single market. However, he could push for a closer relationship with Brussels in the lead-up to the next general election, due no later than August 2029.
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