Burnham signals potential EU return pledge at next election

Andy Burnham has indicated that the Labour party may campaign on a pledge to rejoin the European Union at the next general election, as he prepares to outline options for a closer relationship with the bloc. The Prime Minister used his speech at the Labour party conference to criticise Brexit, asserting that the United Kingdom has lost control over key policy areas, including immigration. He stated that he would lay out possible options for the country’s future relationship with the European Union to the public, a move that leaves the door open to a formal commitment to rejoin the single market and customs union.

While the party maintains so-called red lines against returning to the customs union and single market until the next election, Burnham’s spokesman refused to rule out a change in position. The spokesman confirmed that options would be set out around the time of the upcoming EU summit and explicitly stated that the issue would be put on the ballot paper at the next election. This stance risks dividing Labour members, as Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, remains the only key party figure to have publicly backed a pledge for the UK to rejoin the EU. However, other senior figures, including Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle, have previously argued for crossing the red line to rejoin the customs union.

The Prime Minister said the UK will work with the 27 member states to secure gains for British industries most harmed by Brexit and to address immigration controls, which he claimed have been weakened by the UK’s exit from the EU. He described the current standing of the relationship as not good enough and stated that Brexit has done more harm than good. Burnham told delegates in Liverpool that the country needs a clear path into the rest of the century, which requires deciding on a long-term relationship with what remains the UK’s largest market. He added that he would seek consensus around one of the different options for Britain’s long-term relationship with its European partners.

The forthcoming UK-EU summit, originally scheduled for 22 July before the leadership change, does not yet have a confirmed date but is expected to take place before the end of the year. This push for closer ties follows earlier attempts by Sir Keir Starmer during his premiership to reset relations as part of the five-year review of the trade and cooperation agreement signed in 2020. Hamish Falconer, the minister of state for intergovernmental relations and European relations, told delegates that Burnham wanted to go further and faster in rebuilding links with the EU. Falconer noted that the Prime Minister believes Brexit has not been a success and has given him ambitious instructions to get closer to Europe. Foreign secretary Ed Miliband echoed this sentiment on Monday, stating that the UK’s future involves a deeper partnership with Europe and that the continent is more than just geography.