Andy Burnham: UK re-joining the EU should be considered

In an interview with the BBC, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham answered a question about whether he wants the UK to rejoin the EU. "I want to look at the options and I am serious about this," Burnham said, adding, "I wrote in a book that I wanted to see England rejoin the EU. Therefore, there is no point in saying otherwise now."

Burnham said, "Of course, this does not mean that this has to happen right now. We need to evaluate different options."

Emphasizing that it is also an option for England to remain in its current form, Burnham said, "If people think this is the right place for us to stay, we can stay like this."

IT IS IMPORTANT WHERE WE WANT TO GO IN 10 YEARS

Burnham said that the proposal of former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, who argued that the UK should join the Customs Union without re-joining the EU, could be followed and said, "Or we could go all the way and re-join the EU. There are different options to be evaluated. We should look at what is doable and the pros and cons of each option. What I am saying is that it is not enough to just leave this question hanging in the air. We must be clear about where we want the UK to go in the next 10 years."

'BREXIT BROUGHT MORE HARM THAN GOOD'

Burnham said, "My view is very clear and I will say it openly. Brexit has done more harm than good. I think about 60 percent of the British public agree with this statement. So the question is; What are we going to do about it? I am not displaying the usual attitude of politicians here. I am being honest about confronting this and offering people options to examine and consider."

Stating that his father, Roy Burnham, who had Alzheimer's disease and died on September 14, instilled in him a quiet and modest patriotism and that he also supported European Union membership, Burnham said, "I want to lead the construction of the kind of Britain my father always wanted to see."