Burnham steers Labour toward rejoining the EU; ministers say it’s a matter of how, not if

Andy Burnham used his first address to the Labour conference as prime minister to press a Europe-facing message. Senior ministers and party figures have made it clear they are actively building a case for rejoining the European Union and are now debating how to present that position to voters.

Options under consideration include a direct manifesto pledge to rejoin, or a softer formulation that opens a public debate. Some ministers pointed to the need to drop previous red lines—such as ruling out the customs union, the single market or freedom of movement—if Labour wants full membership.

Obstacles include existing trade deals outside the EU, which ministers said would need to be renegotiated or moved. A cabinet minister warned of being "trapped alone between two tectonic plates of America First and Made in Europe," underscoring the strategic squeeze the UK faces if it stays outside the EU's economic orbit.

Timing is contested inside Labour. Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, told The Independent the UK should start looking at how to rejoin within six months. Some ministers agree a faster approach is needed to avoid becoming locked out of trade and defence arrangements because of emerging EU rules. Other senior figures and advisers favour a manifesto-first route, treating rejoining as a central election promise and using the intervening period to prepare negotiation plans. Sir Tony Blair's recent call for a plan to rejoin a "reformed EU" within a decade was described by one minister as "to the point." Public messaging and political risk Ministers are weighing the political risks. One senior source said that if there were no political risk they would rejoin "tomorrow," but that pledging to rejoin must account for the electoral threat posed by Reform UK and the actions of figures such as Nigel Farage.

• How the manifesto drafting process frames rejoining: explicit pledge versus a commitment to begin negotiations.
• Any move by the government to begin technical preparations within months, as urged by pro-EU MPs and campaigners.

• Specific proposals on customs, single market access and freedom of movement that Labour might be willing to relax.