Brexit, Burnham: ‘All options are on the table, including rejoining the EU’
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that ‘all options’ are on the table for the UK’s future relations with Brussels, ranging from ‘staying as we are’ to ‘going all the way’, with the UK rejoining the EU. He made the comments on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, after yesterday, in his speech at the Labour Party conference, he had strongly criticised Brexit, saying it had “done more harm than good to the country”, and announced his intention to strengthen ties with Brussels ahead of the forthcoming summit with EU representatives.
Burnham emphasised that there needs to be public consensus on the decisions that will be taken. “We need to assess what is feasible and what the pros and cons of each option would be,” added Burnham, noting that the options under consideration also include a return to the single market and the customs union.
The Prime Minister had already made this point clear yesterday during his speech to the Labour Party Conference. Burnham had also confirmed that the long-awaited summit between the UK and the EU bloc will take place by the end of the year, after having been postponed following the resignation of his predecessor, Keir Starmer. He added, however, that the UK would not be on a ‘clear path’ until ‘we have decided what long-term relationship to have with what remains our main market’.
“I will use the summit,” he said yesterday, “to set out to you and to the nation what I believe are the various options for Britain’s long-term relations with our European partners,” he said. “And I will see whether it is possible to reach a consensus on one of them.”
Neither Burnham nor his spokesperson had specified which options would be considered, although it is likely that these will include rejoining the single market or the customs union of the 27-member bloc, or both. Another possible model could be the relationship between Canada and the EU, in light of the proposal put forward earlier this month by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member.
