- Burnham says rejoining the EU is among the options for Britain's future ties.
- Other options include staying as is, a customs union or rejoining the single market.
- He told Labour's conference that Brexit had caused "more harm than good".
- A UK-EU summit is reportedly pencilled in for November 20, though not confirmed.
PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham has said rejoining the European Union should be considered among the options for Britain's future relationship with the bloc, a day after telling Labour's annual conference that Brexit had caused "more harm than good".
In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme broadcast on Wednesday, Burnham said Britain needed to examine different models for its long-term ties with Europe and decide which offered the best way forward.
"We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay," he said.
"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."
10 Years After Brexit, Business Leaders Seek Closer EU Ties
Osborne, a former Conservative chancellor, has argued that Britain should pursue a customs union with the EU. The Liberal Democrats have called for the UK to rejoin the bloc's single market.
Burnham said each option should be judged on "what is doable" and on its pros and cons.
"What I am saying is it's not good enough to leave that question just hanging," he said.
'A decade of low growth'
In his first leader's speech to the Labour conference on Tuesday, Burnham said Brexit had triggered "a decade of low growth which has put us in a weaker position".
"I am very clear, and I will say this bluntly: Brexit has caused more harm than good," he said. "So the question is, what do we do about that?"
"We will not give Britain the clear path we need into the rest of this century until we decide on a long-term relationship with what is still our largest market," he added.
UK, EU Sign Post-Brexit Deal on Defence, Trade, Mobility
Burnham campaigned to remain in the EU in 2016 and has previously said he hopes Britain will rejoin the 27-nation bloc in his lifetime. He has argued that the country cannot afford another decade of uncertainty over the issue.
Summit expected in November
Burnham told the conference he would set out "different options" for future ties closer to a planned UK-EU summit.
The summit had been due to take place in Brussels in July, but the plan was derailed when Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister that month. The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that November 20 had been pencilled in, although the date has not been confirmed.
Andy Burnham Won't Set Date to End Channel Small Boats
The two sides had hoped to present agreements at the summit on three areas:
- Food and animal safety standards.
- A youth mobility scheme.
- Linking their emissions-trading systems.
Britain voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, ending more than four decades of membership when it formally left in 2020. Successive governments have since grappled with the economic and diplomatic consequences of the vote.
(With inputs from agencies)
