UK's Burnham rules out rejoining EU within this parliamentary term
26.10.2026, DPA
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out the prospect of Britain rejoining the EU within this parliamentary term.
Burnham said he would not “move ahead of the public” but that he wanted to see the UK return to the bloc within his lifetime and would work to secure a better deal with Brussels.
He insisted a general election would not be called “any time soon” amid speculation he could go to the country early to secure a mandate of his own and put proposals to rejoin to voters following a bounce in Labour’s poll ratings.
Asked about Brexit on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Burnham said: “I don’t think things have worked out as people said they would at the time, particularly when it comes to immigration.
“I think we’ve got weaker control now. The reason the small boats crisis has arisen is because we can’t return people, and people know we can’t do that in the same way that we used to be able to do.”
But he added: “I’m not proposing any changes in this Parliament. I’m not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto.
“I am respecting what I said to the voters in Makerfield, but I’m not going to say this morning, sitting here, that the deal we’ve got at the moment is good enough for Britain. I don’t think it is good enough for Britain.
“I think we can make it better and I’m going to lead a discussion about how do we make it better in a way that people can support.”
Burnham rules out UK return to EU free movement without referendum
26.10.2026, DPA
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would not return the UK to EU freedom of movement rules without a referendum, after ruling out the prospect of Britain rejoining the bloc within this parliamentary term.
It comes after his call at the weekend for an "honest discussion" about a return to freedom of movement fuelled questions about the parameters around his vision for a deepening relationship with Brussels.
The prime minister was asked on Monday morning if he would allow the UK to join the EU freedom of movement scheme without a referendum.
He said: "No, I mean I wasn't saying that yesterday. I was asked about how things have changed in the 10 years since Brexit, and the truth of the matter is we've lost immigration control in the way that we once had.
"For instance, the small boats crisis has arisen in the last 10 years because we lost that returns agreement when people came here that we could work with other countries to return them.
"And when it comes to immigration more broadly, we're seeing a situation where people are coming here to settle permanently in a way that we had more revolving door migration in the EU."
Burnham said the UK needed to "have an honest discussion about that and take steps back to get a more functional relationship again" ahead of a summit with the bloc in November.
"I want to use that opportunity to get a practical deal in place to support our farmers, our food manufacturers, but also to increase collaboration on immigration because we lost that and we need to get it back.
"So I'm talking about practical steps to deal with the things that matter to people, and I will never move ahead of the British public when it comes to Brexit."
The prime minister had earlier ruled out the possibility of rejoining the EU within this parliamentary term, signalling however that he could fight the next general election on a promise to take the UK back into the bloc.
He told ITV: "I'm not proposing any changes in this parliament. I'm not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto."
Asked when the public could expect to see a manifesto proposing a return to the EU, Burnham ruled out an early general election but left the door open to fighting the next vote on a promise to rejoin.
"No time soon, if at all, it's not. It's not about that. My mind isn't on that. I don't know if that is coming over here, but it genuinely is not on that. There is no election coming anytime soon," he said.
Burnham will meet EU chiefs including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a key summit in Brussels on November 20 as he seeks to strike a better deal with the bloc.
The prime minister wants to consider various longer-term options for a new relationship with Brussels, potentially including a return to full EU membership or joining the single market - which would require free movement.
Burnham told the Sunday Times he wanted to have a "very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this" as he acknowledged freedom of movement "had very significant challenges associated with it."
He said he could not imagine recommending joining the Schengen borderless area or ditching the pound to adopt the euro.
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