In July, Prime Minister Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer. Now he says Britain should consider rejoining the European Union as he pushes to rebuild ties with Europe, putting the country’s long-term relationship with the bloc back on the political agenda. He told the BBC the choice should include staying as things are, pursuing a customs union, joining the single market or “go[ing] all the way.”
Political institutions and parties will decide Britain’s relationship with the EU. But Burnham says the consequences of Brexit mean the question can’t be left alone. He said people should weigh the options by “what is doable,” along with their advantages and disadvantages.
The choices on the table
Burnham made his case after telling the Labour Party’s annual conference that Brexit had “done more harm than good.” Speaking to the BBC, he said Britain should examine different models for its long-term relationship with Europe and decide which offered the best path forward.
“We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay,” he said. “We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union. We could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about single market, or we could go all the way.”
These are distinct political arrangements, not one settled destination. George Osborne, a former Conservative finance minister, has argued for a customs union with the EU. The Liberal Democrats have called for Britain to rejoin the bloc’s single market. Burnham says people should assess the possibilities, not rule them out in advance.
The debate he has reopened is about which institutional relationship Britain should pursue. He named the customs union proposal, the single-market position, rejoining the EU and staying as things are. His approach frames the decision as a comparison of available models, with “what is doable” part of the test.
A summit, then a longer argument
On Tuesday, Burnham said he would use a November UK-EU summit to outline options for Britain’s long-term relationship with the bloc. The summit will put possible directions on the table; he hasn’t reported an agreement on any one of them.
Burnham replaced Keir Starmer in July. He has previously said he would like Britain to rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, and has argued that the country couldn’t afford another decade of uncertainty over the issue. No agreed timetable for a change in the relationship has been given.
Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, ending more than four decades of membership. The vote triggered years of political upheaval as successive governments grappled with its economic and diplomatic consequences. Now the prime minister is again asking what should follow: maintain the current arrangement, pursue closer economic links, or return to the bloc.
“What do we do about that?”
Burnham’s bluntest formulation was also his simplest. “I am very clear, and I will say this bluntly: Brexit has caused more harm than good,” he said. “So the question is, what do we do about that?”
That question doesn't settle the answer. Burnham has put several options in view, from staying as Britain is to rejoining the EU, and says people should judge them for feasibility as well as advantages and disadvantages. He says he will outline the options at the November summit. For now, the political argument is over which relationship with the bloc Britain should seek, after a vote that ended decades of membership and left successive governments dealing with its consequences.