French minister urges Burnham to go 'all the way' on reversing Brexit - as PM heads to Germany for talks ahead of EU summit
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A French minister has urged Andy Burnham to go 'all the way' in reversing Brexit - as the PM heads for talks in Germany.
Finance minister Roland Lescure hailed Mr Burnham opening the door to a bid to rejoin the bloc.
He insisted the UK could 'come back, any time', suggesting it could help solve problems over Brussels' plans to restrict imports.
The comments, in an interview with the BBC, came after Mr Burnham used his Labour conference speech to revisit the issue of EU membership.
The premier said he wanted to explore 'options' and floated the prospect of including a commitment to rejoin in the next manifesto. He refused to say whether there would need to be another referendum.
Asked about Mr Burnham's intervention, Mr Lescure replied that his advice would be to 'come all the way'.
Finance minister Roland Lescure hailed Andy Burnham opening the door to a bid to rejoin the bloc
Asked about Mr Burnham's intervention, Mr Lescure replied that his advice would be to 'come all the way'
He stressed it was up to the British public to decide but they could 'come back, any time'.
Mr Lescure said: 'British people decided, and that's obviously their 100 per cent right, and if they're willing to come back, they will have to decide.
'But what I can tell them is: come back, anytime.'
Pressed on whether the UK could be included in the Made in Europe scheme, Mr Lescure said: 'Come back, and you'll be at the table, and we discuss all these things together.'
Mr Burnham is in Berlin today to to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Talks are expected to focus on defence and security, but could cover the controversial 'Made in Europe' rules threatening to hit UK exports.
The PM and EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen are set to discuss ways of deepening trade links at a summit next month.
Mr Burnham's comments on the EU have been welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who declared he would welcome the UK back with 'open arms'.
Mr Burnham is in Berlin today to to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
In his Labour conference speech, the PM said Brexit had done 'more harm than good' while stopping short of any concrete commitments.
He told ITV News: 'I can't avoid the Europe question if I'm to put out a credible 10-year plan for Britain.'
He said his 'instincts' were that 'it is better to be closer' to the EU 'with all of the threats that we see around the world'.
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