For years, British governments largely treated the question of EU membership as closed. The political argument shifted towards how to make Brexit work. Now the question is returning.
Burnham Opens the Door
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain should examine the full range of options for its long-term relationship with Europe, from maintaining the current arrangement to closer integration, including the possibility of eventually rejoining the EU. Reuters reports that Burnham has said Brexit has “done more harm than good” and plans to use an upcoming UK-EU summit to examine what is practical and what the advantages and disadvantages of different options would be. That distinction matters. Burnham has not announced that Britain is rejoining the EU. He has reopened the question of whether it should be considered an option. And that is politically significant in itself.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reopened a debate Britain once considered settled. But discussing closer European ties is one thing; reversing Brexit is another.
By Geopolitical Analysis Desk, The Centre
30 September 2026 • 05:10 PM IST • 5 min read
Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, formally left in 2020 and entered a new relationship with the bloc through the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The agreement provides preferential arrangements in areas including goods, services, energy, transport and security cooperation, but it does not recreate the level of integration Britain had as an EU member.
Why Is Britain Looking at Europe Again?
The practical relationship with Europe remains important because the EU is Britain's largest trading partner. Brexit created new barriers to cross-border trade and movement that did not exist when Britain was inside the Single Market and Customs Union. The European Commission says the current Trade and Cooperation Agreement preserves important cooperation but does not match the economic integration Britain previously had as an EU member.
British businesses have therefore continued to push for easier trade arrangements, while politicians have debated whether closer alignment would bring economic benefits without requiring full EU membership. Public attitudes have also shifted.
A June 2026 YouGov survey found that 59% of Britons supported a closer relationship with the EU without rejoining the bloc, Single Market or Customs Union.
Support for full EU membership stood at 55%. But that support fell sharply when respondents were asked to consider rejoining without Britain's previous opt-outs. So the British public appears more comfortable with closer ties than with the practical realities of completely reversing Brexit.
How Far Can Burnham Actually Go?
This is where the politics becomes complicated. Burnham became prime minister only in July, making him Britain's seventh prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to Reuters. That history matters because Britain's political direction has repeatedly changed over the past decade. A government can open negotiations, conduct reviews and change Britain's relationship with Brussels. But actually rejoining the EU would require a much larger political process.
It would also require Britain to negotiate with 27 existing member states and accept the conditions attached to membership. The European Commission makes clear that the UK is currently outside the Single Market and Customs Union and operates under a separate legal framework. And politically, the issue remains divisive. Reuters reports that Reform UK has already said it would oppose any move towards taking Britain back into the EU. So Burnham can reopen the conversation. Whether he can carry it much further is another question.
Britain Is Not Necessarily Rejoining Europe
Perhaps the most important distinction is between reversing Brexit and repairing Britain's relationship with Europe. Those are not the same thing. Britain could seek closer cooperation on trade, security, energy, mobility and regulation without becoming an EU member again. Indeed, YouGov's June survey found that this middle position like closer ties without membership, had broader support than either maintaining the current relationship or loosening ties further.
That may ultimately be where the political debate becomes most interesting. Brexit was once presented as a definitive answer to Britain's European question. Ten years later, that question is being reopened by the country's prime minister. Burnham has not reversed Brexit. He has reopened the possibility of discussing what comes after it. And in British politics, where governments have changed rapidly since the referendum, even that is a significant development.
