UK prime minister Andy Burnham is looking at "different options" to Brexit as he seeks to rebuild the UK's relationship with its largest trading partner, the EU.
In a shift towards Britain reversing Brexit Mr Burnham used his speech at the Labour Party conference to declare the exit from the EU had “done more harm than good”.
In a significant indication that the UK may seek to row back on the 2016 referendum, the new Prime Minister said that at an upcoming EU summit he will set out long-term options with Britain’s biggest trading partner. In his first speech as party leader, he said that in UK politics “something very different is needed”, because “more of the same is not good enough”.
“I’m going to break the mould today. I’m going to give you a real speech,” Burnham said. Those in the conference hall held their breath, then rose in applause for announcement after announcement on his plans for government.
He promised to “put the country on a new path”. At the very end of his hour-long speech, which he gave without a lectern, he made the most significant shift yet in Labour’s position on Brexit. The summit, expected in November, will examine a range of options that will signal much closer economic integration.
“We will not give Britain the clear path we need into the rest of this century until we decide on a long-term relationship with what is still our largest market,” he said. “I cannot say to you truthfully that where we are is good enough. Brexit has done more harm than good.”
He said that after the summit, he would “see if we can find consensus” on which option would give Britain “clarity about the future on our continent”. Those options could include rejoining the single market and customs union, or, ultimately, returning to the EU itself, with the potential for another referendum.
The latest polling shows that almost two-thirds of Britons think that leaving the EU was a mistake, and an average of 61 to 39 would vote in favour of rejoining. In 2016, 52 per cent voted to leave and 48 per cent to remain.
The vote has also resulted in Britain receiving a massive influx of migrants as control of its EU borders weakened. Immigration has been seized upon by right-wing populist parties such as Nigel Farage’s Reform.
The catchphrase of the conference was “hope again”, and Mr Burnham made it clear politics would be tackled in a different fashion. “Hope comes from honesty and saying things politicians usually avoid,” he said.
He then promised a series of major changes to the British state. The pensions triple lock, which ensures pensions remain stable but costs the treasury billions, will be replaced with a double lock from 2030. Those savings will fund a universal National Care Service.
The potential for electoral reform with proportional representation is high, with a new commission announced. There are plans too for a publicly controlled “Great British Grid”, substantial council house-building and a promise of £2 bus journeys for all.
He said Britain would remain “steadfast” in support of Ukraine while standing up to Russia and Iran. On the Middle East, he continued the backing of a two-state solution, saying Israel and Palestine must live “side by side in peace and security”.
Ultimately, it was a major departure from normal party-leader speeches, and a risk that Mr Burnham was willing to take because “Britain has been on the wrong path for a long time”.
“I am ready to do things my predecessors would not,” he said. “To build a new economy and build a new politics.”
