{
  "id": 10887380,
  "title": "Burnham on Brexit: ‘Customs union, single market – or we could go all the way’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/burnham-on-brexit-customs-union-single-market-or-we-could-go-all-the",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-30T06:58:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/burnham-on-brexit-customs-union-single-market-or-we-could-go-all-the-way/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Andy Burnham, the Labour Party leader, has indicated that he is open to reversing Brexit and potentially rejoining the European Union (EU) after the next general election. Speaking on the BBC's Today Programme, Burnham stated that all options are \"on the table\" for Britain's future relationship with the EU bloc. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had previously acknowledged various options, including maintaining the current situation, joining the customs union and single market, or pursuing a more comprehensive association with the EU. Burnham specifically mentioned suggestions from former Chancellor George Osborne regarding the customs union, as well as a proposal from the Liberal Democrats concerning the single market. He went on to say that they could \"go all the way,\" which would effectively overturn the 2016 referendum result that led to Brexit. These remarks came after Burnham delivered a comprehensive speech at the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, wherein he made several bold political promises for the upcoming election. Burnham emphasized that Brexit has caused more harm than good, and he pledged to work towards finding consensus on a strategy that would clarify the UK's position in relation to the EU. However, he did not provide any specific details on how this would be achieved. The Conservative Party's deputy leader, Alex Burghart, criticized Burnham's stance, arguing that the Labour Party should not use Brexit as an excuse for past economic failures and accused them of attempting to re-enter the EU covertly. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have been advocating for closer ties with the EU, with their leader, Sir Keir Starmer, having previously pledged a \"reset\" of relations during his premiership. In a bid to strengthen ties with the EU, Starmer had included this in the routine five-year review of the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement, which he signed in 2020. Fire Minister Hamish Falconer, speaking at the Labour Party conference, revealed that Burnham aimed to take a more proactive approach in rebuilding connections with the European Union, asserting that Europe is a critical issue for the UK and that Brexit was not a success. Falconer added that he was given \"ambitious instructions\" by Burnham to expedite the process of improving relations with the EU.",
  "summary": "Andy Burnham has confirmed he is open to reversing Brexit and could push for Britain to rejoin the European Union after the next election, as he said all options are “on the table” for Britain’s future relationship with the bloc. The Prime Minister said on Wednesday Morning: “There are clearly options that need to be [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "UK PM Burnham says Britain should consider rejoining European Union",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/uk-pm-burnham-says-britain-should-consider-rejoining-european-union",
        "published": "2026-09-30T05:38:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}