Burnham says UK should rejoin EU in his lifetime

Andy Burnham said he wants the UK to rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, while ruling out changes to the relationship during the current Parliament and saying he would not move ahead of public opinion. The prime minister said Labour would keep the red lines in its election manifesto, which rule out rejoining the EU single market, customs union and free movement. He nevertheless said the current arrangement was not good enough for Britain and that he wanted to lead a discussion about improving it in a way the public could support. Burnham’s comments leave open the possibility of a future debate over EU membership, but he did not announce a policy to rejoin or commit to proposing membership at the next general election. He said the focus was on improving relations with the bloc, and that he was not proposing changes during this Parliament. He also rejected suggestions of an early election, saying there was no general election coming anytime soon. His remarks came amid questions about whether Labour might seek a mandate for a different EU policy at the next vote. Burnham said his mind was not on calling an election. A meeting with EU leaders is scheduled for November 20 in...