Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain should consider rejoining the European Union as one option for its future relationship with the bloc, bringing the country’s post-Brexit course back onto the political agenda. He said Britain should compare different models and decide which offers the best way forward.
Burnham made the remarks on Wednesday as he steps up efforts to rebuild ties with Europe. The choices he named range from keeping the current arrangement to joining a customs union, re-entering the single market or rejoining the EU. He didn’t announce a decision.
The choices on the table
Speaking to the BBC, Burnham said Britain could “stay as we are” if people judged that to be the right place to remain. He also pointed to a customs union proposal associated with George Osborne, a former Conservative finance minister, and the Liberal Democrats’ call for Britain to rejoin the bloc’s single market.
“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,” Burnham said.
He said people should judge the options by “what is doable” and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. His comments didn’t set a timetable for a decision or specify which model he would pursue. They put several possible relationships with the EU under consideration, including full membership.
Brexit’s place in the debate
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.
At Labour’s annual conference, Burnham said Brexit had “done more harm than good.” In his interview with the BBC, he repeated that judgment and said: “I am very clear, and I will say this bluntly: Brexit has caused more harm than good. So the question is, what do we do about that?”
The question he raised is whether Britain should keep its current relationship with the bloc, adopt a closer arrangement or ultimately return to membership. His remarks don’t change the result of the 2016 vote; they call for an examination of possible future arrangements.
A summit to set out options
Earlier on Tuesday, Burnham said he would use a November UK-EU summit to outline options for Britain’s long-term relationship with the bloc. He has said Britain can’t afford another decade of uncertainty over the issue.
Burnham replaced Keir Starmer in July. He has previously said he would like Britain to rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, while also arguing that people should judge the available options by what’s achievable and by their respective advantages and disadvantages.
The proposals named so far differ in how close Britain would be to the EU: remaining as it is, joining a customs union, rejoining the single market, or returning to the bloc itself. Burnham has called for people to consider those alternatives. The November summit is where he says he will set out options for the long-term relationship; he hasn’t announced a final choice.