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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he wants an "honest discussion" with the British public about the possibility of a return to free movement between the UK and the European Union, as part of his plans for a new relationship with the bloc.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Burnham said: "I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this." He said he wants to consider various options for a new relationship with Brussels, potentially including a return to full EU membership or joining the single market, which would require signing up to free movement, or being part of the customs union. Both would require an element of agreeing to rules set by the EU.
Burnham has previously committed to the red lines in Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which ruled out the return of free movement, single market membership or a customs union, suggesting any fundamental change in the relationship would have to wait until after a general election, expected by 2029.
He acknowledged freedom of movement "had very significant challenges associated with it", but suggested that European migration had changed in the past decade. "It was generally younger people, not always, but spending a few years, then going back," he said. "And obviously the ease of that worked for British people as well." He described it as "revolving door migration where people would come and then go back", and argued there had been reciprocal benefits of free movement for Britons, particularly for young people wanting to experience living in Europe.
Burnham will meet EU chiefs, including Ursula von der Leyen, at a summit in Brussels on 20 November, where he has said he will lay out to the British public different options for the future relationship with the bloc. He has said a new deal could mean the UK goes "all the way" and rejoins the EU. He added that he could not imagine recommending that the UK join the Schengen Area, in which border controls have been abolished, or ditch the pound to adopt the euro. "I can't see myself ever recommending anything that would involve joining the euro or Schengen," he said.
The comments drew immediate fire. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the prime minister's comments were a "total betrayal" of voters who backed Brexit, including in Burnham's Makerfield constituency. "He is also deluded to say immigration was different when we were members of the EU. We will fight this dishonesty," Farage said. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said a return to free movement would mean "handing back control of our borders and allowing uncontrolled migration from across Europe".
Migration was one of the dominant factors during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign. In the 12 months to June 2016, the month of the leave vote, net migration stood at a near-record 335,000, according to the Office for National Statistics. Net migration later peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023, before falling sharply to 171,000 last year, almost half of what it was in 2016.
Burnham has also argued that ending free movement has come at a cost, specifically the loss of access to Eurodac, the EU's biometric database which assists border control and the management of asylum claims. The UK's border security commander, Major General Duncan Capps, told MPs the UK "would very much like to be part of that".