Key facts
- UK government officials are assessing public opinion on rejoining the EU.
- Labour leader Andy Burnham has stated that rejoining the EU should be an option for Britain's future relationship with Europe.
- Pro-EU campaigners argue rejoining would boost UK growth rates.
- Some political opponents criticize Labour's stance, attributing economic issues to "their own economic decisions" rather than Brexit.
- French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the idea of Britain rejoining the EU.
- An EU spokesperson confirmed the bloc is open to discussing future UK-EU relations.
Senior officials in the UK government, specifically within Downing Street, are actively gathering information on public sentiment regarding the possibility of rejoining the European Union. This effort involves outreach to think tanks and pollsters to gauge how the public might react to such a proposal, particularly as momentum builds within the Labour party to include rejoining the bloc in their next manifesto.
Labour leader Andy Burnham has been a vocal proponent of exploring all options for Britain's relationship with Europe, explicitly stating that full re-entry should be considered. His comments have been met with enthusiasm by pro-EU groups who believe it would stimulate economic growth, but have also drawn criticism from political opponents who attribute current economic challenges to Labour's own policies rather than Brexit.