The UK’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who like his predecessor Keir Starmer is also a socialist, is open to the country potentially ‘going all the way’ back into the EU. This marks a clear departure from Labour’s previous red lines. The statement has been criticized by the country’s right wing, who claim Burnham is trying to sneak the UK back into the EU.

Andy Burnham said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 Today on Wednesday that the UK must reconsider its long-term relationship with the EU, as Brexit has, according to him, done “more harm than good.”

In the interview following the party conference, he listed everything from maintaining the status quo to a customs union, the single market, or full membership as options. As The Guardian and others reported, the Prime Minister described a spectrum of alternatives in view of the postponed summit between the UK and the EU later this autumn.

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“We can stay where we are. That is definitely an option if people believe it is the right place to stay. We can look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union, we can look at what the Liberal Democrats have said about the single market – or we can go all the way,” said Burnham.

Breach of the 2024 Election Line

This announcement represents a clear shift compared to Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, which explicitly ruled out rejoining both the customs union and single market, as well as free movement.

Burnham himself had previously said, upon his return to parliament, that he was not proposing for the UK to consider rejoining the EU. Now, he says the government will examine what is feasible and weigh the pros and cons of each option.

He has promised to present the different choices to the country in connection with the British-European summit in November. The summit was originally planned for the summer under Keir Starmer but was postponed after his resignation.

Reactions in Europe and at Home

French President Emmanuel Macron called it “very good news” if the UK wants to rejoin, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country would welcome the British back with open arms.

At home, political opponents on the right accused Burnham of wanting to reopen old Brexit wounds. Reform UK’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice described it as an attempt to sneak back into Brussels through the back door.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey demanded more than rhetoric and wanted to see concrete negotiations on the customs union and single market. The Green Party argued that Brexit had weakened the economy, but criticized Burnham for merely keeping options open instead of choosing a direction.

What ‘Going All the Way’ Would Mean

A customs union would bring the UK closer to the EU in goods trade through shared external tariffs, but would not, by itself, solve all border obstacles. Rejoining the single market would require much closer regulatory alignment.

Full membership, or ‘going all the way’, would practically mean a new accession process, where the UK, according to several EU voices, risks being treated more like a new candidate rather than a returning great power.

In the meantime, limited steps are already being taken. The UK will rejoin Erasmus+ from 2027, and the EU has opened discussions for closer connections in the electricity market. Negotiations on food trade and youth mobility are ongoing. Burnham’s point is that this is not enough as a long-term strategy.

“We will not give the UK the clear path we need for the rest of the century until we decide on a long-term relationship with what remains our biggest market,” he said in his conference speech in Liverpool.

For Sweden, the development is relevant both in terms of trade and politics. A UK moving towards the customs union, single market, or EU membership would change the balance in Europe and put pressure on how other EU countries, including Sweden under an interim government, approach enlargement, veto issues, and the rules of the single market.