The prime minister said on Wednesday that the United Kingdom should consider various options for its future relationship with the European Union, including a return to the EU in the end. Burnham said this to the BBC, and his statements followed a warning at the annual conference of the Labour Party that Brexit 'has done more harm than good'.
Burnham said that the UK should consider different models of long-term relations with Europe and decide which offers the best way forward. 'We can stay where we are,' he said, adding that they could consider what George Osborne had said about a customs union. Osborne, the former finance minister, had advocated for the UK to enter a customs union with the EU.
The prime minister noted that the Liberal Democrats had spoken at their conference about a single market, and one could go all the way. The Liberal Democrats had called for a return to the European single market. Burnham said that options should be assessed on the basis of 'what is feasible', and the pros and cons of each.
The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, bringing an end to more than four decades of membership. A period of political turbulence followed, during which successive governments had to deal with the economic and diplomatic consequences of that decision.
Burnham said earlier on Tuesday that he would present options for a long-term relationship between the UK and the EU at the summit in November. Burnham replaced Keir Starmer in July, but had previously said that he would like the UK to rejoin the European Union during his lifetime.
He stated that the country could not afford another decade of uncertainty on this issue. 'I want to be completely clear and I will say it openly: Brexit has done more harm than good,' said Burnham. 'The question, therefore, is what are we going to do about it?'
