Britain · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Andy Burnham Tells BBC Britain Should Rejoin EU, Macron Says “Welcome Back”
Burnham says UK should consider options for future EU relationship, including rejoining the bloc. Macron welcomed the prospect, saying 'Welcome back' if the UK rejoin, praising potential benefits.
18 outlets told this the same way.
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Burnham reopens EU door
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC that Britain should consider options for its future relationship with the European Union, including rejoining the bloc, and he said Brexit had "done more harm than good". Burnham said he could "go all the way" toward reintegration, while also listing the status quo and closer arrangements such as the EU single market and a customs union as possibilities. French President Emmanuel Macron responded that it would be "very good news" if the UK rejoined, but he also warned that Britain could not "pick and choose" which parts of membership it wanted.
Burnham said he would attend a UK-EU summit in November, after the summit planned for July was postponed following Keir Starmer's resignation. The Reuters account also said Burnham wanted to progress talks on helping British industries and immigration while he assessed what voters would accept in return for any better access.
Macron, Conservatives, Reform
Macron told Reuters that when Britain wants to re-engage, "being on the outside poses a problem" because "you cannot pick and choose" among the Union's freedoms. Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart accused Burnham of trying to "reopen old wounds by restarting the battles of the Brexit years" as the debate over rejoining the EU threatened to become a dividing line at the next general election. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said Burnham was "trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door" and argued that Labour was outsourcing the job to Brussels.
Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC that a referendum "wouldn't be the right thing to do right now" and said the UK needed to consider the options because "where we are isn't good enough". The BBC also reported that Burnham said he was not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU, even as he said "Yes, things are possible" about a future in-out referendum in a Labour manifesto.
Summit stakes and public mood
Burnham said he would attend a UK-EU summit in November and wanted to progress talks on helping British industries and immigration. Burnham said any better access for certain industries might mean accepting some EU rules, and he needed to know whether voters would back that approach. Burnham pledged in his Labour conference speech on Tuesday to explore closer ties with the bloc at a summit later this year and he wanted to "find consensus" on an option to clarify the UK's position.
“Talk is cheap. Burnham must stop with all the 'maybes' and get negotiating that better deal for Britain today.”
Reuters also cited polling by YouGov in June showing 55% of voters supported rejoining and 34% opposed it, while noting that support often drops when people are asked about contributing to EU budgets and adopting the euro. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said "Talk is cheap" and told Burnham to "stop with all the 'maybes' and get negotiating that better deal for Britain today."