UK PM Burnham says he wants to discuss a return to EU freedom of movement

Burnham says Britain should person an ‘honest discussion’ astir however migration to the UK has changed since Brexit.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says helium wants to sermon Britain returning to the European Union’s state of question rules for workers, a cardinal contented successful the 2016 Brexit referendum which led to the United Kingdom leaving the bloc.

Addressing the request to rethink ties with Brussels, ⁠Burnham told The Sunday Times paper that the influx of EU workers into Britain earlier Brexit had posed important challenges.

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“But, astatine the aforesaid time, it was a benignant of migration that possibly wasn’t arsenic hard [as now],” helium said successful a study released connected Sunday.

“Revolving doorway migration wherever radical would travel and past spell backmost is different. The equilibrium of migration has changed, hasn’t it, ‌since then? I deliberation we’ve conscionable got to person an honorable treatment astir those things,” helium said.

The contented of migration was a cardinal origin successful the 2016 Brexit referendum run that ended with Britons narrowly voting to permission the EU.

A decennary later, Burnham, who has adjacent touted the anticipation of Britain applying to rejoin the EU 1 day, said the state should person an “honest discussion” astir however migration to Britain has changed since Brexit.

Long-term nett migration to the UK nearly halved ⁠in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), falling to 171,000 successful 2025 from 331,000 a twelvemonth earlier. This driblet had not been seen since earlier the post-Brexit migration strategy was introduced, arsenic tougher authorities measures person restricted arrivals.

In his October 19 interrogation with The Sunday Times, Burnham said the contented of state of question could beryllium considered arsenic portion of a broader reset of the UK’s narration with the EU, including connected information sharing and migration.

“Consider what we’ve lost, which was the quality to beryllium portion of Eurodac and each the information collaboration astir migration. You’ve got to spot it successful the round, alternatively than conscionable looking astatine state of question connected its own,” helium told The Sunday Times.

Nigel Farage, person of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, called Burnham’s comments connected escaped question a “total betrayal of Brexit Britain”.

In his speech to the Labour Party conference past month, Burnham said Brexit had done “more harm than good” and called for Britain to see its “long-term relationship” with the EU.

The premier minister, who is trying to find ways to ⁠speed up the UK economy, is owed to conscionable apical EU officials for ⁠a acme connected November 20.