France's Macron, Spain's Sanchez welcome idea of UK rejoining EU after Burnham remarks

French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday welcomed the idea of the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union. 

During a visit to Madrid while meeting with Sanchez, Macron reacted to the idea of a UK rejoin with two words in English: "Welcome back."

"If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans," Macron continued in French.  

At the same time, Macron said the UK cannot take an a la carte approach to its relationship with the EU, while remaining outside the bloc.

"You cannot choose between the freedoms of the union and decide to take what suits us and not the rest," he said.

Sanchez said the UK's decision to leave the EU as a result of a referendum in 2016 is "a huge loss, both for the British population and for the whole European project."

The Spanish prime minister said if the UK indeed does try to rejoin the EU, "then of course Spain would applaud it and open its arms again to a brotherly people."

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In a separate statement from the EU, European Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said: "The UK is a close and valued partner of the European Union. It is for the UK government to set out how it wishes to develop its relationship with the EU going forward."

"We remain open to engaging on the options it may put forward," Ujvari said.  

Burnham: UK should consider options in regards to EU ties 

In an interview with the BBC earlier on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister  Andy Burnham said Britain should look at various options when it comes to the relationship with the EU.

"We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay," Burnham said, while saying one option would be to "go all the way."

Other possibilities might include rejoining the EU's single market or a customs union between the two sides, he said.      

During a speech at the annual Labour Party conference on Tuesday, Burnham said that "Brexit has done more harm than good." He added he would set out "different options" for the UK-EU relationship closer to a summit between the two sides in November.

Such a decision to move closer or rejoin the EU could open up a tense political debate in the UK.

Although recent public surveys suggest that the majority of Britons back rejoining, the idea of adopting the Euro currency or contributing to the EU budget would likely spark fierce backlash. Moreover, the UK is unlikely to receive the same exemptions it had when it was previously a member of the EU.

For now, Burnham is committed to the 2024 Labour Party manifesto, which ruled out rejoining the EU and other elements such as returning to the EU single market. However, Burnham could push Labour for a closer approach to the EU in the next general election, which is slated for no later than August 2029.

Edited by: Zac Crellin

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