Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would welcome an "honest discussion" about a possible return to the European Union's free movement rules, in an interview with The Sunday Times published on Sunday. Free movement was a key issue in the 2016 Brexit referendum, which led to the United Kingdom leaving the bloc.1,4
Burnham said a new relationship with Brussels could include full EU membership or joining the single market, both of which would require free movement. He said any such change would require a mandate at a general election, which is due by 2029.1
Burnham said he believed the type of migration had changed from the revolving door movement of young people that existed before Brexit. "I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this," he said. "Revolving door migration where people would come and then go back is different," he added. "The balance of migration has changed, hasn't it, since then? I think we've just got to have an honest discussion about those things." He also said, "I can't see myself ever recommending anything that would involve joining the euro or Schengen."1,4
Burnham has previously committed to Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which ruled out a return of free movement, single market membership or a customs union. He has also touted the possibility of Britain applying to rejoin the EU one day. In his speech to the Labour Party conference last month, he said Brexit had done "more harm than good" and called for Britain to consider its "long-term relationship" with the EU.1,4
Long-term net migration to the UK nearly halved in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS put net migration at 171,000 in 2025, down from 331,000 a year earlier. The drop had not been seen since before the post-Brexit immigration system was introduced, and tougher government measures have restricted arrivals.4
Burnham told the newspaper that freedom of movement could be considered as part of a broader reset of the UK's relationship with the EU, including on data sharing and migration. "Consider what we've lost, which was the ability to be part of Eurodac and all the data collaboration around migration," he said. "You've got to see it in the round, rather than just looking at freedom of movement on its own," he said.4
Angela Rayner, asked about the remarks on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, said "you can't take anything off the table" and that the prime minister was saying "we've got to be pragmatic to get the best deal for Britain and he wants to have the conversation." She said she wanted the best possible deal with the EU, which may involve concessions. "What the prime minister is saying now, and what I want, is that we have an honest conversation about the facts of what the trade-offs are to get the best deal for Britain going forward," she said. She added that "a lot of those facts didn't get the airtime" during the referendum debate.1
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the prime minister "hasn't thought this through". Writing on X, she called the remarks "yet another example of Burnham's foot in mouth syndrome". "Most people who voted for Brexit did so because they didn't want free movement," she wrote. "Too many politicians have failed to understand the significance and impact of immigration on communities."1
Reform UK's Robert Jenrick dismissed the idea as "mad". Nigel Farage, the party's leader, called Burnham's comments on free movement a "total betrayal of Brexit Britain".1,4
Jeremy Hunt, a Conservative MP and former chancellor who backed Remain, warned that the Brexit debate was "incredibly divisive" and insisted the current deal can still be made to work. "I think we can make it a success," he told Kuenssberg. Pointing to the one million young people not in work or training, he said that dealing with that should be the priority.1
Migration dominated the 2016 Brexit campaign, when the Leave campaign raised concerns about rules allowing any EU citizen to move to the UK. The Schengen Agreement allows passport-free travel across EU countries. The UK was able to keep the pound while it was an EU member, but the bloc has pushed new members to adopt the euro. Burnham called for an honest discussion on the issue.1,4
Burnham, who is trying to find ways to speed up the UK economy, is due to meet top EU officials at a summit on 20 November in Brussels. He is expected to pitch options for a reset of relations with the bloc at that summit.1,4
