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LONDON: Andy Burnham put the idea of Britain rejoining the EU on the table Wednesday, breaking a taboo for a UK prime minister and reopening the divisive Brexit debate.<\/p>\n
Burnham said his center-left Labour government could go \u201call the way\u201d and propose membership of the bloc after weighing the \u201cpros and cons\u201d of different possible relationships with Europe.<\/p>\n
Right-wing rivals immediately criticized the comments, as the UK appeared to be gearing up for a re-run of the bitter \u201cBrexit wars\u201d that dominated politics following the contentious 2016 vote to leave the European Union.<\/p>\n
Burnham, premier since July after Labour MPs turfed out Keir Starmer, told his party\u2019s annual conference on Tuesday that Britain\u2019s departure in 2020 had done \u201cmore harm than good\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said Brexit had triggered \u201ca decade of low growth\u201d and Britain must \u201cdecide on a long-term relationship\u201d with its largest trading partner.<\/p>\n
Burnham promised to set out \u201cdifferent options\u201d for future ties with Europe closer to a planned summit with the 27-member bloc later this year.<\/p>\n
Possibilities that could be looked at included joining the European single market and customs union, \u201cor we could go all the way\u201d, Burnham told BBC Radio\u2019s Today Programme on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I am saying is it\u2019s not good enough to leave that question just hanging,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
– Brexit polls –<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s right-wing Conservative party took Britain out of the EU after Britons voted to leave by 52 percent to 48 percent.<\/p>\n
A poll by Survation in June found that 55 percent of voters would opt to rejoin if a referendum was held again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Burnham is recognizing the widespread view in the country that Brexit has failed, and in the Labour Party that closer ties are needed,\u201d David Henig, an expert on UK-EU relations, told AFP.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs yet I don\u2019t think he is committed to rejoining, not least given fears this would be politically divisive and reopen previous turmoil, but I suspect he is starting to realize that there may be no other realistic option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burnham is currently bound by Starmer\u2019s 2024 election-winning manifesto which ruled out joining a customs union, going back into the single market or allowing the return of freedom of movement with the EU.<\/p>\n
Burnham\u2019s comments indicate that he plans to remove some of those red lines going into the campaign for the next general election, expected in 2029.<\/p>\n
– Realistic option? –<\/p>\n
Sandro Gozi, a European lawmaker who chairs a parliamentary initiative on EU-UK relations, told AFP that Burnham\u2019s willingness to openly explore options offered a \u201chistoric opportunity\u201d for the European Union.<\/p>\n
Labour MP Stella Creasy said in a comment sent to AFP: \u201cToday is the day our colleagues around Europe can see that finally the red lines have been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank, cautioned against any suggestion that Burnham\u2019s comments mark the start of a return journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll he seems to have said is: \u2018We\u2019ll have a conversation about it now\u2019. There are quite a few people in his cabinet who would not want to see him spending a lot of time and effort dealing with Europe,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n
– Reform criticism –<\/p>\n
Burnham campaigned to stay in the EU and has previously said he hoped Britain would return within his lifetime.<\/p>\n
But during his successful campaign to return to parliament in June and replace Starmer in Downing Street, Burnham insisted he did not want to \u201crerun\u201d the Brexit debate.<\/p>\n
Richard Tice, deputy leader of the anti-EU Reform UK party, said Burnham was \u201ctrying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door\u201d, while Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart accused the prime minister of looking \u201cbackwards\u201d.<\/p>\n
The UK-EU summit had been due to be held in July in Brussels, but was postponed when Starmer was ousted.<\/p>\n
An EU official told AFP the bloc was looking to hold the meeting in November, but the date was not confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, the mood is positive and commitment to have a good summit is definitely there,\u201d the EU official said. \u201cAnd there is a lot of work ongoing to prepare it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two sides had been hoping to present several deals at the summit, namely on food and animal safety standards, a youth mobility scheme and the linking of their emissions-trading systems.<\/p>\n
Negotiations are believed to have stalled over British concerns about the EU\u2019s \u201cMade in Europe\u201d plans to protect certain industries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n