British Prime Minister Burnham says ready to return to the European Union

LONDON:- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated that the UK wishes to discuss rejoining the European Union’s rules regarding the ‘free movement of workers.’ The UK left the European bloc following the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Pointing to the need to reconsider the relationship with Brussels (the European Union), Burnham told ‘The Sunday Times’ that the arrival of a large number of workers from the European Union in the UK prior to Brexit had created significant controversy within the local labor market.

“But, at the same time, this was a type of migration that was perhaps not as difficult [as it is now],” he said in a report released on Sunday.

“Migration characterized by people coming and then returning—a ‘back-and-forth’ pattern—is different. The balance of migration has shifted since then, hasn’t it? I believe we need to have an honest discussion about these matters,” he said.

The issue of immigration was a key factor in the 2016 ‘Brexit’ referendum campaign, which resulted in the British public voting by a narrow majority to leave the European Union.

A decade later, Burnham—who has even raised the possibility that the UK might apply to rejoin the European Union in the future—stated that the country needs to have an “honest discussion” about how immigration to the UK has changed since Brexit.

According to the Office for National Statistics, long-term net migration to the UK has fallen by nearly half. The figure has dropped from 331,000 the previous year to 171,000 in 2025. This marks the first such decline since the implementation of the post-Brexit immigration system, following the government’s introduction of strict measures to limit the arrival of immigrants.

In an interview with ‘The Sunday Times’ on October 19, Burnham stated that the issue of ‘freedom of movement’ could be viewed as part of a process to broadly redefine the UK’s relationship with the European Union—a process that might also encompass matters such as data exchange and immigration.

“Consider what we have lost—the opportunity to be part of ‘Eurodac’ and to collaborate on the exchange of data regarding immigration. You must look at this in a broader perspective, rather than viewing it solely through the lens of ‘freedom of movement’,” he told ‘The Sunday Times’.

Addressing the Labour Party conference last month, Burnham stated that Brexit has caused “more harm than good” and urged the UK to reconsider its “long-term relationship” with the European Union.

The Prime Minister, who is seeking ways to boost the British economy, is scheduled to meet with senior European Union officials for a summit on November 20.