Rejoining EU among options for future ties - UK PM
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that rejoining the EU was among the potential answers to the unavoidable question of what Britain’s future relationship with Europe could look like.
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham revealed in an interview that rejoining the EU is among the potential avenues for Britain's future relationship with Europe. His remarks followed his announcement at the Labour Party's annual conference of considering various options for future ties with the European Union closer to a scheduled summit with the bloc later this year.
Britain's decision to leave the EU was the result of a contentious 2016 Brexit referendum. Burnham, who advocated for staying in the EU, has expressed his desire for Britain to return to the 27-nation bloc during his lifetime. He suggested potential options at the BBC Radio's Today Programme, including joining the European single market and customs union, or potentially going even further.
Burnham emphasized that it is not sufficient to leave the question hanging and stressed the importance of deciding on a long-term relationship with the EU, their largest market. The planned summit with the EU, originally scheduled for July in Brussels, has been postponed due to a leadership change within the Labour Party. The new date, November 20, has not been officially confirmed.
The two sides aimed to present several agreements at the summit, such as food and animal safety standards, a youth mobility scheme, and the alignment of their emissions-trading systems.
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