Andy Burnham stokes Brexit debate ahead of UK-EU summit

Prime minister calls for 'honest discussion' about free movement of people

Andy Burnham has sparked a furious debate over Britain readopting EU free movement rules, but has rejected the idea that the UK could join the euro or the passport-free Schengen travel area.

Burnham's call for an "honest discussion" on free movement came as he prepares to set out options for Britain's long-term relationship with the EU ahead of a UK-EU summit in Brussels on November 20.

The prime minister announced at Labour's conference last month that all options were on the table, including joining a customs union, the single market or going "all the way" with Britain rejoining the 27-member bloc.

He said he wanted to open up a national "conversation" and find a "consensus" on the best way forward, which would be a key feature of the next Labour election manifesto.

Free movement of people is one of the EU's "four freedoms" -- along with free movement of goods, services and capital -- and Brussels has made it clear it is a non-negotiable part of membership of the single market and the EU.

However, Burnham's decision to talk about free movement in an interview with The Sunday Times has reignited what was the most toxic element of the debate about Britain's EU membership in the run-up to the Brexit referendum in 2016.

The prime minister said the nature of immigration into the UK since Brexit had been "different", adding: "I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this."

Net migration of EU citizens turned negative in 2022, according to Oxford university's Migration Observatory, and between the middle of 2021 and 2025 about 162,000 more EU nationals left the UK than arrived in the country.

The "Boris wave" of migration under the previous Conservative government was driven by non-European arrivals and Burnham said the "balance of migration" had changed since Brexit. "We've just got to have an honest discussion about those things," he said on Sunday.

Burnham said the opposite in May, however, when he was standing as Labour's candidate in the Leave-voting Makerfield seat.

"My view is that Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments," he said at the time, adding: "I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU."

Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, said on Sunday: "This is a total betrayal of Brexit Britain and Burnham's Makerfield pitch."

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative leader, said: "This is yet another example of Burnham's foot-in-mouth syndrome. He hasn't thought this through or the implications. Most people who voted for Brexit did so because they didn't want free movement."

Burnham appeared to set down "red lines" in the event a future Labour government applied to rejoin the EU, saying: "I can't see myself ever recommending anything that would involve joining the euro or Schengen."

Number 10 said Burnham would set out options for the UK's relationship with Europe "around" the time of next month's summit.

That would be followed by a "10-year plan" before Christmas, setting out Burnham's vision for the country.

The prospect of an early election continues to swirl around Westminster following two recent polls putting Labour on 30 per cent or more, a sharp improvement since Burnham became prime minister in July.

A Deltapoll survey put Labour on 30 with Reform on 24 and Tories on 22, while a new Ipsos poll put Labour in first place on 32 per cent with the Tories on 24 and Reform third on 20.

Labour strategists have also been encouraged to see a revival of Tory fortunes, leaving the vote on the right of politics split with Reform in a way that favours Burnham.

Although Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat leader, have put their parties on alert for a snap election before Christmas, Burnham would be taking a massive gamble were he to go to the polls now.

Labour has a huge working House of Commons majority of 167 and most polls suggest Burnham could lose that majority, possibly having to rely on Lib Dem support to govern.