Prime Minister Andy Burnham today said that rejoining the European Union could be one of the options under consideration when reviewing Britain’s relationship with Europe.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, he said the Prime Minister’s own Brexit deal was “a bridge too far” and that he was seeking to understand what could be done to mend relations.
He spoke after delivering a speech to the Labour Party conference in which he announced that the government would explore all options when it came to revisiting Britain’s ties with its EU neighbours.
These included “looking to maintain the status quo”, joining an EU customs union, joining the single market, or “returning to the fold” as a full member state.
Mr. Burnham stressed that “all options” should be kept open as he prepared to lay out his vision for the future of the United Kingdom’s relationship with Europe at a summit that he was due to host later this year.
He also called for a “national consensus” on the matter, which would be difficult to achieve given the opposition from both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
The prime minister’s comments marked a shift from his party’s election manifesto for 2024, which called for improved ties with the EU but ruled out “any return to the EU Customs Union or the single market”.
Mr. Burnham has called on his party members not to reopen old wounds when he returns to parliament for the first time since winning his Makerfield seat with a landslide victory last year.
The comments from Mr. Burnham have been widely criticized by the opposition. The deputy leader of the Conservatives, Alex Burghart, accused him of “trying to reopen old wounds” by seeking to “exploit” the Brexit issue.
The government’s position on reviewing the Brexit settlement could prove to be an issue in the forthcoming general election – not least because of the controversy that the prime minister himself had stirred up by even raising the subject.
