LIVERPOOL, England — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham made clear that an attempt to rejoin the European Union could be among the options his government considers as it eyes a fundamental shift in the country’s relationship with the bloc.
Burnham told the governing Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool Tuesday that the Brexit settlement struck by the Conservatives had done “more harm than good” and said he would spell out “what I believe the different options are for Britain’s long-term relationship with our European partners” at a U.K.–EU summit later this year.
In a BBC interview, broadcast Wednesday, Burnham said: “We could look at what [former Chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way.”
He added: “So there are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each.”
Burnham’s Labour predecessor, Keir Starmer, had promised not to rejoin the EU’s single market or customs union. Burnham’s government will stick to that position before a general election — but his move has teed up a post-election push to reboot the relationship a decade on from the Brexit referendum.