Manchester: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reopened the Brexit debate by saying that rejoining the EU is among the options for the United Kingdom, a remark that now hangs over the planned EU-UK summit. Burnham spoke at Labour’s annual conference on 1 October 2026 and told the BBC that Brexit had caused "more harm than good".

He said Britain must decide on a long-term relationship with Europe and could explore the single market, the customs union or full membership. Asked how far he would go, he answered that the country "could go all the way". The distinction matters, because joining the single market or the customs union would reopen the core of the post-Brexit settlement, while full membership would reverse it entirely. He did not commit to a timetable, and he remains bound by Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which rules out EU re-entry.

European leaders answered quickly. French President Emmanuel Macron said that if the British want to come back, "that is very good news", and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain would open its arms again.

The existing framework is the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which governs trade and cooperation since Brexit. The next EU-UK summit, postponed from July, is planned for later in 2026 and is expected in November. Both sides will use the EU-UK summit to review what they have already agreed.

At home, the reaction split along familiar lines. Conservative and Reform UK politicians accused Burnham of trying to sneak Britain back into Brussels through the back door. Polling cited in coverage of the speech shows 55% of voters would back rejoining in a referendum, and Burnham has suggested the question could appear in Labour’s manifesto before the next election, expected in 2029.

For the EU, the practical questions arrive well before any membership application. The coming EU-UK summit gives both sides a chance to test how far cooperation under the current agreement can go before anyone discusses a bigger step. A formal request to rejoin would also need the approval of all 27 member states under the EU treaties, so any path back would take years. That reality explains why the prime minister framed his comments as options rather than a plan, and why most of the near-term work will stay with the existing agreement and the planned meeting with EU leaders.

The November EU-UK summit will therefore show whether Burnham’s words become policy or remain a signal to his party. Brussels will listen for specific proposals on the single market and the customs union, and it will judge London on delivery under the current agreement before it discusses anything larger. The Euronews briefing from 1 October summarises the early reactions.