Burnham to outline options for closer EU ties

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he will present options for Britain’s long-term relationship with the European Union around a planned UK-EU summit later this year, and seek political consensus on a course for closer ties. Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on September 29, he said Brexit had done more harm than good and argued Britain needed to decide its future relationship with the bloc. Burnham did not specify which arrangements he would propose. The options could include different forms of cooperation, but the reports do not establish that he intends to recommend rejoining the EU, the customs union or the single market. He has previously said he would like Britain to rejoin the EU in his lifetime, while also saying he was not proposing that step now and respected the 2016 referendum result. The summit is expected later in 2026, but no date has been confirmed. It had been planned for July and was postponed after Keir Starmer was replaced as Labour leader by Burnham. The two sides had been seeking possible agreements on food and animal safety standards, a youth mobility scheme and linking emissions trading systems.