Burnham says Britain should weigh EU options — including rejoining the bloc

Andy Burnham has said Britain should examine every option for its long-term relationship with the European Union — including, ultimately, rejoining the bloc.

The prime minister told the BBC on Wednesday that Brexit had done “more harm than good” and set out four broad paths: “We could stay as we are… 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,” Reuters reported. Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor, has backed a customs union; the Liberal Democrats want single-market membership.

Burnham said each option should be judged on “what is doable” and its advantages and disadvantages. He plans to use a November UK-EU summit to lay out the options and seek a consensus. He replaced Keir Starmer in July and has previously said he would like Britain to rejoin the EU in his lifetime.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice condemned the move: “Andy Burnham has barely been prime minister five minutes and he’s already trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door… Reform UK will never let this betrayal go unchallenged,” according to a Reuters report. A June YouGov poll found 55% of voters supported rejoining and 34% opposed it, while 59% backed closer ties short of rejoining.