Burnham rules out early election and EU rejoin push in this parliament

On 26 October 2026, Andy Burnham told ITV's Good Morning Britain he was not proposing rejoining the EU in this Parliament and that no early general election was coming soon. He said he would like Britain back in the EU in his lifetime but would not move ahead of the public. He said Brexit had been harder than proposed in 2016, had weakened the economy and immigration control, and that the inability to return migrants had fed the small-boats crisis. His immediate focus was practical steps to improve the current arrangement. Labour's 2024 manifesto ruled out the single market, customs union and freedom of movement. Angela Rayner, on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, cited exports down 20 per cent from trade friction and said trade-offs should be put to voters at a general election. John Curtice said a reported seven-point Labour lead might not yield a Commons majority given weaker Scottish support, and that polls would need to hold for months before any election was considered. Burnham is set to meet EU chiefs including Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on 20 November. CONTESTED no contested claims found