Burnham opens the door to overturning Brexit and rejoining the EU

Andy Burnham has opened the door to the UK rejoining the European Union after saying Brexit has done “more harm than good” in his first Labour conference leader’s speech. The Prime Minister promised to set out different options for closer UK-EU relations later this year – and said he will try to build a consensus towards one before putting it to voters in the next general election. Shortly afterwards, Downing Street did not rule out that these options included rejoining the EU. The i Paper can reveal that Burnham’s dramatic shift on Brexit – he pledged in May not to “re-run” old debates on the issue said he did not want to reopen the debate – comes after fraught discussions with EU leaders, who personally warned him to tone down UK demands to be included in the bloc’s Made In Europe policy. Shorts A diplomatic source said Burnham was told directly that UK inclusion in the policy, which threatens Britain’s economy, was not possible this year and should not be linked to the Brexit reset negotiations – underlining the limits of Labour’s negotiating red lines – no rejoining the single market, customs union or free movement. Following the tense discussions in recent days, Burnham used his Labour Party conference speech in Liverpool to say he was now prepared to drop those red lines after the next general election. In a possible reference to the Made In Europe row, the PM said the UK has “lost some control” over the economy, as well as immigration as a result of leaving the EU. He said in his speech: “We will not give Britain the clear path we need into the rest of the century until we decide on a long-term relationship with what is still our largest market. “I cannot say to you that where we are is good enough. Brexit has done more harm than good. “So I will take the opportunity around the (UK-EU) summit to lay out to you, to lay out to the country, what I believe are the different options for Britain’s long-term relationship with our European partners. And there are different options. “And I will see if we can find consensus around one which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in.” The PM’s political spokesman refused to rule out one of the options being rejoining the EU, and declined to respond on whether the single market or customs union could also be included in the proposals He said that after a debate Burnham would decide on an option and “we will put this on the ballot paper at the next election”. The next UK-EU summit is due to take place before the end of the year, and is designed to sign deals on youth mobility, food and drink trade and electricity markets. There has been deadlock in the negotiations with the UK’s demand to be included in Made In Europe in return for agreeing to EU calls to lower tuition fees for European students as part of a youth mobility deal sparking anger in Brussels, and the personal warnings to the PM. Delaying talks on both tuition fees and Made In Europe until next year – as Sir Keir Starmer is believed to have previously suggested – could be a solution through the deadlock but European Commission officials are demanding a resolution on fees, the diplomatic source suggested. Responding to Burnham’s shift, Labour Movement for Europe (LME) chair Stella Creasy said: “Andy Burnham has spoken the truth that the British people are living every day: Brexit has done more harm than good. “We in [LME] warmly welcome the news that the Prime Minister will present to the country the full options for this country’s relationship with the EU. “Everything must be on the table. Removing the red lines on Europe is the essential first step to restoring this country’s place on the world stage. “We stand with this Prime Minister in making the changes that truly live up to the challenges of 2026, not 2016.” Naomi Smith, chief executive of the pro-EU pressure group Best for Britain, said Burnham should go further and pledge to re-join the bloc. She said: “It’s vital the Labour government seizes this moment, not in 2029 or a year, or six months’ time.”