Burnham said the government could keep the current arrangements, seek a customs union, return to the single market or \u201cgo all the way\u201d in what would be full EU membership. Speaking to the BBC, he said ministers would examine \u201cwhat is doable\u201d and the \u201cpros and cons\u201d of each option.<\/p>\n
Asked whether he wanted the UK to rejoin the bloc, the prime minister told Radio 4\u2019s Today programme he wanted to \u201clook at the options\u201d. He added: \u201cWe could stay as we are. That\u2019s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay. We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a significant shift from the position Labour<\/a> fought the 2024 election on. Its manifesto explicitly ruled out returning to the EU single market or customs union, as well as restoring freedom of movement.<\/p>\n Burnham told the Labour conference in Liverpool that Brexit had caused \u2018more harm than good\u2019. Photograph: Michael Bowles\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n A customs union would bring Britain much closer to the EU on trade in goods. The UK and EU would apply the same tariffs to imports from elsewhere, removing trade barriers businesses have faced after Brexit<\/a>. But it would not on its own put Britain back inside the wider single market or remove every border check.<\/p>\n If Britain were to rejoin the single market, it would be a significant step with the country having to accept closer alignment with EU rules.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each,\u201d Burnham told the BBC.<\/p>\n Although Burnham has not set out any timetables or specifics, to \u201cgo all the way\u201d would mean considering EU membership. He went further in his interviews on Wednesday than his conference speech in which he told delegates Britain could not keep avoiding a decision about its long-term relationship with its largest trading partner.<\/p>\n The prime minister has vowed to set out different choices facing the country around the time of the UK-EU summit in November. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in a rut. The country hasn\u2019t been working for people as it should,\u201d he told BBC Breakfast. The summit was originally supposed to take place in July under Keir Starmer but was postponed after his resignation.<\/p>\n
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