At Labour's annual conference in Liverpool, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain could eventually consider returning to the European Union. The remark crossed one of Westminster's most guarded Brexit lines and broke with the limits that had shaped Labour's position since the Brexit debate began.
Burnham did not announce a plan to take Britain back into the EU. He took that option off the list of subjects Labour would refuse to discuss. In interviews with the BBC, he said his plan for the next decade would examine every available model. These include the current arrangement and closer cooperation, as well as a customs union, a single-market relationship or a possible return to the EU.
The BBC reported that Burnham did not call for an immediate referendum on EU membership. He said such a vote would not be the right step at this stage.
His stated goal is a national consensus on Britain's long-term relationship with Brussels. The change matters because Keir Starmer's government had accepted the red lines tied to Theresa May's post-Brexit strategy. Britain would not rejoin the single market or the customs union, and would not restore free movement for EU citizens.
Burnham has moved beyond the slogan Starmer used at the 2021 Labour conference:
