How UK is looking towards the EU and how far it could go
UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020 "did more harm than good", as stated the country’s current Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. He also promised to conduct a major review of the UK’s relationship with the European Union – theoretically, this could even lead to a referendum on rejoining it.
Burnham plans to unveil the "possible options" at the next EU-UK summit, which is set to be held in late November or shortly thereafter.
Burnham’s statements and the reaction to them indicate at least that Brexit is once again becoming a subject of discussion in both political and public circles.
Red more about what the consequences of such a shift could be and whether London is really ready to reconsider its relationship with Brussels in the article by European Pravda journalist Uliana Krychkovska-Bohdanova: Fixing Brexit: what UK’s new prime minister, who considers leaving the EU a mistake, is proposing.
During a speech at the Labour Party conference in late September, Prime Minister Andy Burnham made a notable statement, emphasising that for the UK, "more of the same isn’t good enough". In his view, the country’s current direction needs to be reconsidered because "things are not working as they should", and the government’s political course needs to become clearer and more decisive.
"I will say it straight. Britain has been on the wrong path for a long time. Deindustrialisation. Deregulation. Privatisation. Austerity. Brexit," the prime minister said, including withdrawal from the EU among the country’s mistakes.
Burnham also stressed that the world has changed significantly since 2016, when Britons voted to leave the European Union. And indeed, by the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, the economic costs of leaving the EU had become increasingly apparent.
However, Burnham is not yet prepared to talk about the UK rejoining the EU.
"Now just looking at what are the broad options for our relationship," he emphasises.
Among the possible scenarios, Burnham mentioned maintaining the current status quo, deepening relations along the lines of the model currently being discussed between the European Union and Canada, and returning the UK to the EU customs union.
The prime minister’s statements did not go without a political reaction.
The right-wing populist Reform UK, which advocates preserving the outcome of Brexit, immediately accused Burnham of trying to bring the country closer to Brussels "through the back door".
Criticism also came from the Conservatives.
In Brussels, meanwhile, there is currently little eagerness to impose a specific form of closer ties on London, leaving the British government room to determine its own priorities. At the same time, the EU’s willingness to continue the dialogue indicates that both sides are interested in finding a new model of cooperation.
A recent public opinion poll suggests that the Labour Party’s support could increase by as much as seven percentage points if Burnham proposed holding another referendum and advocated returning to the European Union. That is quite an incentive for the prime minister.
As for the various options for future relations, 49% of Britons support rejoining the EU, while 28% are opposed.
There is also fairly strong support for amending the current 2020 agreement between Britain and the EU, obtaining some form of associate membership (even though the EU has no such type of relationship with third countries) and joining the EU customs union and its single market.
At the same time, no option involving closer integration with the EU has the support of an absolute majority of Britons.
So, it is still too early to talk about the UK returning to the European Union. Burnham is not calling for a new referendum – he is simply speaking increasingly clearly about the need to reconsider the framework of Britain’s relationship with Brussels.