British Prime Minister Burnham says returning to the EU is an option for the future

China News Service, London, September 30 (Reporter Ouyang Kaiyu) British Prime Minister Burnham recently released a major public signal, reopening discussions on the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union after "Brexit". In an interview with the media on September 30, Burnham made it clear that returning to the EU would be an option in the future. He bluntly stated that the negative impact of "Brexit" on the UK far outweighs the benefits.

At the recent Labor Party annual conference, Burnham systematically elaborated on Britain’s future diplomatic thinking towards Europe. He believes that the 2016 "Brexit" referendum did not realize the so-called "recovery of sovereignty" promise. Instead, it made the UK passive in areas such as economic development and immigration management, and its overall national strength was weakened. In an interview with the media, Burnham further liberalized his policy, saying that the UK has multiple options for future cooperation with the EU. It can maintain the existing post-Brexit bilateral structure, or consider returning to the EU single market, customs union, or even fully returning to the EU system.

Burnham said that this discussion aims to formulate the UK's development plan for Europe in the next ten years. He revealed that the UK-EU summit will be restarted at the end of this year. At that time, he will systematically sort out various cooperation plans with Europe, explain the pros and cons to the whole country, and finalize the direction of follow-up negotiations based on the trend of public opinion.

Burnham's statement once again sparked controversy in British politics. The British Reform Party immediately criticized the Labor government, believing that the Labor government was ineffective in governance and economic growth was weak. This time it raised the issue of returning to the EU, trying to circumvent public opinion and push the UK back into the EU framework in a disguised way, once again tearing apart the consensus of British society and triggering a new round of political confrontation.

British media analysis pointed out that Burnham's statement has once again restarted the "Brexit" controversy that has torn British society apart in the past decade. After the United Kingdom's "Brexit", after years of political turmoil, successive governments have been dealing with the economic and diplomatic consequences of "Brexit". Burnham's public presentation of a variety of options for relations with the EU means that the "Brexit" issue, which had tended to be dormant, has returned to the center of the British political stage. (over)