Burnham - rejoin Europe in one shape or form?

Other countries in the EU always went their own sweet way and didn’t toe the line, but the UK muggings always followed things to the letter of the law.
I don’t think we should return to the EU as having a referendum would be a disaster once again, it was way too divisive as it was.
Edging closer maybe in various ways but not re-joining.

Yes, the EU is different now. It's worse. If you think they are doing so much better than us, their GDP increase in 2025 was 2.4%, ours was 2.2% so little difference. France managed to grow by about 0.8% but that far exceeded the 0.2% growth in Germany.

Ireland accounted for roughly 40% of EU growth all on its own but that is because it is a hub for multi-national corporations, mainly American. Trump can change that at any time.

We have a few options open. One being the Swiss agreement. The other being the Norwegian route. I think it unlikely st present that we will become fully paid up members again.

No to rejoining

Yes, I agree, things are too much in confusion. I'm just glad we could be able to better trade with Europe our neighbours and in terms of how awful Trump is I want us to draw closer to our real allies.

I'm not bothered about their growth figures. I just want ourbusinessmen and women and farmers and so on to be able to trade well, to sell our stuff, to buy ore easily, to move things quicker, not to incur customs fees, nor all the red tape currently facing people, and promote less and less reliance on the USA.

Bre - entry - bring it on!

Work closer with European countries ✔️

Rejoin ✖️

The EU is not the EU we voted to leave.

The far right, AdF are making great strides in Germany and Marine Le Pen is 36% ahead of her rivals to win the French Presidential election next year. Do we want the UK to follow suit?

Last year our GDP was higher than France, Italy and Germany so why do we need to rejoin the EU?

Europe are our allies and in this increasingly uncertain world we need to work together where defence is concerned but to go cap in hand and rejoin, NO!

How about the Norwegian style deal we were promised? ( by Farage et al)

About bloody time.

We need closer ties with our nearest allies but not to rejoin the EU.

Good. Closer ties certainly and rejoin properly if the EU will have us.

In the present political climate we need allies, and Europe are our closest allies, certainly not the US either geographically or in any other shape or form as has been proved by Trump, and tbh I don’t feel we can ever rely on the US again no matter who the president is.
We need security as a nation first and foremost and help with the small boats issue, only closer links with the EU can help in both instances.
For those who don’t like the EU nobody is saying we are rejoining, but needs must when the devil drives as they say.
Burnham is spot on to seek to capitalise on the closer ties Starmer managed to put in place with the EU. Let’s have more of it.

Wyllow3

Yes, I agree, things are too much in confusion. I'm just glad we could be able to better trade with Europe our neighbours and in terms of how awful Trump is I want us to draw closer to our real allies.

I'm not bothered about their growth figures. I just want ourbusinessmen and women and farmers and so on to be able to trade well, to sell our stuff, to buy ore easily, to move things quicker, not to incur customs fees, nor all the red tape currently facing people, and promote less and less reliance on the USA.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Closer ties is a must and I would support any proposals to rejoin the EU. I can't think of any meaningful benefit as a result of Brexit. The adverse impact is real and may get worse over time.

All parties most likely to set out their position on UK relationship with EU, including whether to negotiate rejoining in their manifestos at next GE. Then voters can decide.

Meanwhile AB is discussing possibilities and options ie testing the water in context of public opinion.

Burnham is throwing out all sorts of backward-looking suggestions from the 1970s rather than confronting the very real and present dangers facing Britain; gauging the response and calculating what will bring him, not the country, the greatest benefit.

The EU is certainly not what it was; it is declining rapidly and its influence is waning as the organisation fractures. The cost of rejoining and the conditions Britain would have to accept would be colossal.
I do not believe we have seen the real Andrew Burnham yet. He is treading very cautiously knowing he is only PM because of the support of an extremely treacherous cabinet.

Macron and French PM today made positive public statements today about AB's conference speech in relation to closer UK/EU relationship plus possibility. or rejoining. Good will is helpful currency in closer relationship negotiations over the next 3 years at least.

eazybee you’ve been listening to Badenoch. She, poor dear has little to offer the U.K. public, apart from criticising. How much better it would be if she was more constructive.

Many of the traditional Tories have rejected her hard right, chasing after reform votes, snd want the Tory party back to a more inclusive ideology where community and not division is the wat forward.

It is without question that Brexit has made our country poorer and those businesses that trade with the EU - of which it is almost certainly the majority, less profitable.

What a staggeringly daft decision that was, and what a staggeringly inept load of politicians both for and against we had the misfortune to have at the time.

LemonJam

Macron and French PM today made positive public statements today about AB's conference speech in relation to closer UK/EU relationship plus possibility. or rejoining. Good will is helpful currency in closer relationship negotiations over the next 3 years at least.

Good news.
We need closer relations with the EU, now is not the time for pettiness and petulance, with Putin and the Iranian regime causing serious concerns that imperil our national security and Trump causing trouble rather than helping matters, we need a firm commitment to be in lockstep with Europe over defence. And of course small boats will not be dealt with successfully unless we work with the EU on this.

It was a staggeringly daft, inept decision of Cameron to hold the referendum in the first place. Total carnage and damaging result for the country over a wafer thin majority where the consequences and £costs of leaving were not known to many who voted.

He opened the door for ridiculous propaganda- like the bus etched in memory that the NHS will receive £x millions extra every week if we vote leave- not! The majority of the population regrets the decision to leave. Polls show if the vote was repeated today there would be a clear majority voting to stay, as posed to the wafer thin vote to leave in 2026.

AB is bold to call out the adverse consequences of leaving and how this will continue to adversely impact the UK in years to come. He's nailed that flag to the mast. He knows the UK must work with the EU over the next 3 years.

Voters can decide what EU relationship they wish for at the next GE when all parties make clear their stance.

One of the main reasons Brexit ended up the way it did was although 17.4 million people voted to leave, the overwhelming majority of MPs sitting in Parliament at the time had backed Remain.
The split was 485 Remain to 162 Leave.
Parliament was being asked to deliver something most of Westminster never wanted in the first place. Because of that, it was never going to be the "hard" Brexit that many people thought they were voting for.
The public voted Leave. Westminster largely didn’t.

sundowngirl

Exactly.

I either like to rejoin, under much more stringent conditions in our favour, though despite much debate we always have “choices” for example the Euro.

Or, at the very least have a much closer alliance and protection and some sensible mutually beneficial trade and security alliances.