BURNHAM: REASSESS LONG-TERM TIES WITH BRUSSELS

LONDON, SEPTEMBER 30 /SRNA-Reuters/ - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said today that the United Kingdom should consider options for its future relationship with the EU, including rejoining the bloc.

Speaking at the Labour Party's annual conference, Burnham, who backed the campaign for Britain to remain in the EU in 2016, argued that the country should once again examine its options for a long-term relationship with Brussels.

He said Britain's departure from the European bloc had failed to deliver on supporters' promise to "take back control," instead weakening the country, particularly its economy, while failing to resolve the issue of immigration.

Analysts said it was unclear how Burnham intended to advance his views on the EU, but in his conference speech he stressed that he would use the upcoming EU-UK summit to set out different options.

The summit had been due to take place on July 22 following Keir Starmer's resignation as prime minister and could now be held in mid-November, although any formal move would have to wait until the next election, scheduled for mid-2029.