Macron says 'welcome back' after Burnham floats EU return
· RTE.ieFrench President Emmanuel Macron has reacted to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham floating the idea of Britain rejoining the European Union by saying in English: "Welcome back."
Mr Burnham acknowledged he could go "all the way" and propose rejoining the European Union as he considers the UK's future relationship with Brussels.
"If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans," Mr Macron added in French at a news conference in Madrid.
Mr Burnham, who has blamed Brexit for a decade of drift and division, said he would look at the "pros and cons" of all options.
In his first Labour Party conference speech as leader, Mr Burnham said Brexit had done "more harm than good" and promised to set out the options to the country around the time of a UK-EU summit later this year.
He told the BBC he did not want to leave the issue "hanging" and he wanted to be clear on "where we want Britain to go in the next decade".
Asked whether he wanted the UK to rejoin the bloc, he told the Today programme he wanted to "look at the options".
"We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay," he told the programme.
"We could look at what (former Conservative chancellor) George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way."
Labour's election manifesto in 2024 ruled out joining a customs union, going back into the single market or allowing the return of freedom of movement with the EU.
But Mr Burnham has indicated he is prepared to recommend going beyond those red lines in future.
"There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each," he told the BBC.