Rejoin EU parliament debate 2026: Burnham to speak

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is due to make a statement to the Commons on Monday 12 October, the same day MPs hold a Westminster Hall debate on rejoining the EU, according to the Guardian and the Evening Standard. The debate is on a public petition that closed with 111,687 signatures.

A No 10 source quoted by both newspapers said: “Sticking with the status quo and not working relentlessly to secure a good deal that boosts growth would be a major dereliction of duty.” A Westminster Hall debate is a discussion, not a vote to change policy, and the Government has not applied to rejoin.

What Burnham is expected to say on Monday

The Guardian reports that Mr Burnham will use the statement, on the first day back after the party conference break, to urge MPs to face up to the damage caused by Brexit. It says he will argue that closer ties with the EU could increase economic growth and help tackle illegal immigration, and that he will call for a “calm, clear-eyed assessment” of the UK’s relationship with Europe.

The Standard says he is expected to repeat his Labour conference argument that Brexit has done “more harm than good”, and to ask all parties to support the Government’s approach. The No 10 source added: “Andy understands why some politicians don’t want to face up to the reality that Brexit has not delivered what they once promised. But it is time for a different conversation about what our long-term relationship should be.”

The Guardian says the statement will turn attention to the immediate negotiations, where ministers want progress on removing trade barriers, including paperwork on food imports and exports, and on closer cooperation on migration. At the Liverpool conference last month Mr Burnham said he would set out “options” for the long-term relationship around a UK-EU summit planned for the end of the year, and has suggested those could include rejoining the bloc, according to the Standard.

Reaction: opposition and unease in Labour ranks

The Observer reports that Mr Burnham’s conference announcement has prompted former Vote Leave figures to plan a new cross-party group in Parliament. Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, a former Vote Leave director, is contacting colleagues in several parties. He told the paper: “Andy Burnham is completely mad to do all this rejoin stuff”, and said a leave campaign would win again. Some of those involved are expected to speak in Monday’s debate.

Mike Woods, described by the Observer as a shadow Cabinet minister, said the Conservatives would “fight Labour’s attempts to pull us into the EU’s orbit every step of the way”. The Guardian adds that senior Conservatives have vowed to reverse Labour’s moves towards closer EU ties, including a proposed food and farming trade agreement, and that businesses have warned that abandoning such arrangements could prolong the costs of border checks and paperwork.

The Guardian also reports unease within Labour, where some MPs in leave-voting seats fear that renewing the debate could reopen old divisions. Meanwhile the Standard says Lord Khan praised Mr Burnham for “calling out the historic mistake” of voting to Leave, and notes that London voted strongly to Remain in 2016.

Mr Burnham also said on The Rest Is Politics podcast that he had been told Russia interfered in the 2016 referendum, but he did not give the evidence, according to Reuters. Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told LBC he did not think the attempts had succeeded, the Standard reports. In 2016 Britons voted 52% to 48% to leave, according to Reuters.

Should the UK rejoin the European Union? What the petition says

The petition, “Apply to Rejoin the EU as soon as possible to increase growth in the UK”, states: “We believe Brexit’s not working.” It cites the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 forecasts, which it says show the Trade and Cooperation Agreement will reduce long-run productivity by 4%, with imports and exports 15% lower because of non-tariff barriers. It concludes: “It’s time to seek to rejoin the EU, remove those barriers and boost the economy.”

The Cabinet Office replied in January that “The UK will not be rejoining the EU”. It pointed to the strategic partnership agreed at the 19 May 2025 summit, and said the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and emissions trading linking measures alone are set to add nearly £9 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040. The Standard says the response came in January, shortly after the petition was published; Reuters reports Mr Burnham took over as prime minister in July.

With 111,687 signatures, the petition is 11,687 above the 100,000 threshold at which the Petitions Committee considers a debate. A second petition, “Start negotiations now to Rejoin the EU”, is also open. The table compares the two.

What happens next

Monday brings both the Prime Minister’s statement and the Westminster Hall debate on the petition. The Government says it wants to conclude talks on the Youth Experience Scheme, a common SPS area and linking emissions trading systems by the next UK-EU summit, and says talks on association to Erasmus+ from 2027 have concluded. The table sets out the dates that follow.

The second petition needs a further 87,305 signatures to reach 100,000 before it closes. Anyone wishing to add their name, or to read the Government’s response when it comes, can do so on the Parliament petitions website.

Your questions answered

Is the UK going to rejoin the EU?

There is no application. The Cabinet Office said in January that the UK will not be rejoining, though that predates Mr Burnham’s time as prime minister. He has said he will set out options around the year-end summit, and the Standard says he has suggested they could include rejoining. Brexit campaigners quoted by the Observer say rejoining would have to go to a referendum.

Is Britain better or worse off since Brexit?

The sources disagree. The petition cites the OBR’s forecast of a 4% fall in long-run productivity. The Government says its deal with the EU, plus agreements with the US and India, supports growth, and it describes this as “a Brexit that works for Britain”. The Observer reports that Brexit supporters point to the cost of full membership, which some estimates put as high as £30 billion a year.