Burnham says rejoining EU is among options for UK's future

Andy Burnham has confirmed that rejoining the European Union is one of the options his government will examine as it prepares to reshape the UK's long-term relationship with Europe. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the prime minister said the current Brexit settlement had caused "more harm than good" and that Britain could not afford another decade of drift. He said he would use the delayed UK-EU summit, expected in Brussels at the end of November, to set out what he believes are the different options for the country.

Burnham listed three broad paths: staying as we are, looking at a customs union arrangement along the lines suggested by former chancellor George Osborne, or going "all the way" and rejoining the EU. He also mentioned the single market option promoted by the Liberal Democrats. "So there are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each," he told the BBC.

“We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay. We could look at what [former Chancellor] 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.”

: Andy Burnham, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme

The comments mark a sharp break from Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which pledged to "make Brexit work" and ruled out rejoining the customs union or single market. Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, had pursued a more limited reset, including alignment with EU food standards, a youth visa deal and relinking British industry to the EU's carbon trading regime. Burnham said he had previously advocated rejoining the EU in his lifetime but acknowledged that it was "not necessarily the case that that is now".

The Conservative Party accused Burnham of reneging on a pledge he made during the Makerfield by-election not to re-run Brexit arguments. Deputy leader Alex Burghart said: "You cannot trust a word Andy Burnham says. Just a few weeks ago he said he wanted to move on from the Brexit arguments and now he is dragging Britain back into them by floating the prospect of rejoining the EU." Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice accused Burnham of "trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door".

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said his party had put forward "concrete plans to boost our economy, strengthen our defences and cut people's taxes by joining the single market and a customs union". He added: "Talk is cheap. Burnham must stop with all the 'maybes' and get negotiating that better deal for Britain today."

Burnham told the Today programme he did not want to leave the question of the EU relationship "hanging" and wanted to be clear on "where we want Britain to go in the next decade". He said he would seek consensus around one option to give the country clarity about its position. The prime minister has also said he wants to publish a 10-year plan to transform the UK economy around the time of the summit.