Andy Burnham says he'll use UK-EU meeting to "lay out to the country" options for EU ties

At Labour’s conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer in July, said the UK should weigh multiple future relationships with the European Union, including rejoining, the single market, a customs union, or current arrangements. He contends withdrawal has not delivered expected benefits and has hurt Britain’s economy and migration management. He plans to use the period around a UK-EU meeting—postponed after Starmer’s resignation and possibly set for November—to publicly discuss possible courses for that relationship. Any formal change would not happen until after the next general election, due by mid-2029, and he says he will honor Labour’s 2024 pledges to remain outside the EU, single market, customs union, and free movement. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice criticized the approach, while many in Burnham’s party supported his message, reviving a longstanding national debate.