Macron Welcomes Burnham's EU Rejoining Comments as UK Opposition Parties Respond

Labour Party leader Andy Burnham declared at his first party conference speech that Brexit had done more harm than good and pledged to present the country with options for the UK's EU relationship ahead of a November UK-EU summit. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly welcomed the remarks, saying 'Welcome back' during a joint press conference with Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez. UK opposition parties including the Conservatives, Reform UK, and the Liberal Democrats each responded with differing positions on the prospect of EU reintegration.

In his inaugural address to the Labour Party conference as newly elected leader, Burnham contended that Brexit had produced more negative than positive outcomes, and set out a proposal to offer the public a series of options around the time of a UK-EU summit he expected to take place in November. Speaking to a prominent broadcaster after his address, Burnham said that any ten-year plan for the country would need to address the question of Europe directly, that he was unsure what positions partner nations would take across the range of options under consideration, that the differing circumstances on each side would need to be weighed before a realistic path forward across the relevant areas could be mapped out and a conversation begun, and that his own view pointed towards a closer relationship with the bloc in light of the range of threats currently visible on the world stage. Burnham told a broadcaster that he had not settled on any specific course of action, including a referendum, and that the path forward would depend on what options took shape and how public sentiment developed, leaving open the possibility of a future vote on EU membership; separately, at a press conference alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, Macron voiced backing for Britain returning to the EU, saying in English, "Welcome back". Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, dismissed the idea that Brexit had been harmful, contending that the Labour administration's failure to drive economic growth or control immigration, alongside what he viewed as a push to hand powers back to Brussels, constituted the real damage, and vowed that his party would keep opposing what he called a betrayal. Farage took issue with remarks made by the Greater Manchester mayor regarding the abolition of the State Pension triple lock as a way to fund social care, while a senior Reform party figure told broadcasters that Farage plans to give a speech on Thursday, 1 October, responding to Burnham's reported willingness to consider the UK rejoining the European Union. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who has backed closer relations with Europe, called on Burnham to move past words and take tangible action. Commitments hold little meaning unless backed by concrete steps.

Macron Welcomes Burnham's EU Rejoining Comments as UK Opposition Parties Respond

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Macron Welcomes Burnham's EU Rejoining Comments as UK Opposition Parties Respond

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