Informative · UK politics

Andy Burnham just left the door open to rejoining the EU at the next election

26 October 2026 · 26 October 2026Share

Official portrait of Prime Minister Andy Burnham. © House of Commons · CC BY 3.0

Andy Burnham just ruled out rejoining the EU in this Parliament.

But he did not rule it out for the next one.

The Prime Minister spoke on ITV's Good Morning Britain this morning.

He said: "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."

So what are those red lines? No customs union. No single market. No free movement. Andy Burnham restated all three this morning.

He also said he does not think the current deal with the EU is good enough for Britain.

So why does that matter?

Well, a week ago, Andy Burnham told the Sunday Times he wanted an honest discussion about Britain going back to freedom of movement with the EU. That interview came out a day ago. And it's what forced this morning's clarification.

In that interview, he said freedom of movement "had very significant challenges associated with it". He did not rule it out.

He did rule out two other things. The euro, and Schengen, the EU's border-free travel zone. He said he can't see himself ever recommending joining either one.

So what happens at the next election?

Asked this morning when a manifesto promising EU rejoin might land, Andy Burnham said there is no election coming any time soon, and his mind is not on that.

That is not a no.

The next general election is due by 2029 at the latest. And Andy Burnham has left the door open to putting EU rejoin, or a return to free movement, in Labour's manifesto then. Nothing changes before it. Something might change after it.

And here's the thing. This is not new.

The rest of this story is for Silver and Gold members.

Stained glass in Westminster hall with crest visible — Stained Glass in Westminster hall (UK parliament building) with crest visible. User:Equivalent-Text2598 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Four months ago, Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election. That's a seat that voted to leave the EU. He won it on a promise not to re-run the Brexit arguments. He said then he was not proposing UK rejoin.

Then last month, in a separate BBC interview, he said Britain could go a long way towards rejoining the EU.

So the pattern holds. Never now. Possibly later.

The reaction has split exactly how you'd expect.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, called the free movement comments a total betrayal of Brexit Britain.

That's the man who led the original Brexit campaign saying Andy Burnham is undoing it by degrees.

Inside Labour, the response is mixed too. Senior cabinet ministers, including Angela Rayner, have backed Andy Burnham's call for a debate. But some Labour MPs in traditionally Leave-voting seats are wary of where this goes.

The Conservative Party has not formally responded to this morning's GMB appearance.

And there's a date that matters more than anything said this morning. Andy Burnham meets EU leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, at a summit in Brussels in just under four weeks, on 20 November. That's where Britain's actual negotiating position gets tested against the EU's.

What will the EU ask for in return for a better deal? Not known yet.

Will free movement or EU rejoin appear in Labour's next manifesto? Not known yet.

Would Andy Burnham put any new EU deal to a referendum before taking Britain back in? He hasn't said.

So for now, the position is exactly as narrow as Andy Burnham made it this morning.

Andy Burnham just left the door open to rejoining the EU at the next election

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