Burnham opens door to rejoining EU as he rips into Brexit

Andy Burnham said the forthcoming UK-EU summit will forge closer ties with the European bloc as he left the door open to a pledge to rejoin at the next election.

The Prime Minister used his Labour party conference speech to tear into Brexit, claiming Britain had lost control of key areas such as immigration.

He told party members he would “lay out to the country” possible options for the UK’s relationship future relationship with the bloc.

While so-called “red lines” on remaining outside of the customs union and single market will be maintained until the next election, Burnham’s spokesman refused to deny suggestions that Labour could campaign on a pledge to rejoin the UK.

“He will set out the options around the time of the EU summit,” the spokesman responded. He also said “we will put this on the ballot paper at the next election”.

The issue could divide Labour members given electoral risks. Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is the only key party figure to have backed a pledge for the UK to rejoin the EU.

Other top members, including Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle, have pushed for the UK to cross over a “red line” and look to rejoin the customs union.

Burnham’s EU risk

The Prime Minister said the UK will work with the 27 member states to “secure gains for our British industries most harmed by Brexit” and on immigration.

“These are important concrete steps but they are not enough,” Burnham told delegates in Liverpool.

“We will not give Britain the clear path we need into the rest of this century until we decide on a long term relationship with what is still our largest market.”

The summit, which was originally scheduled for 22 July before the leadership change, does not yet have a date confirmed. It is expected to take place before the end of the year.

The Prime Minister said the current standing of the UK and EU’s relationship was not “good enough” and added “Brexit has done more harm than good”.

The sentiment was echoed throughout Burnham’s address, including where the Prime Minister said immigration controls had been “weakened” by the UK’s exit from the EU.

Burnham to put ‘different options’ to nation

Following the summit, Burnham said he will put a plan to the country of what he believes are the “different options… for Britain’s long-term relationship with our European partners”.

“There are different options, and I will see if we can find consensus around one,” he said.

The indication of closer ties follows attempts from Sir Keir Starmer during his premiership. As part of last year’s routine five year review of the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement, which was signed in 2020, Starmer pledged a “reset” of relations.

Hamish Falconer, minister of state for intergovernmental relations and European relations, told delegates at the party conference that Burnham wanted to go “further and faster” in rebuilding links with the European Union.

“[Burnham] thinks Europe is an important question for the UK, that Brexit has not been a success, and so he is quite rightly sending me off with an ambitious set of instructions to try and get us closer to Europe faster,” he told an event hosted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

This has also been echoed by foreign secretary Ed Miliband who said on Monday the UK’s future involved a “deeper” partnership with Europe.

“Europe is not just our geography, but so much more,” Miliband said.