Macron and Sanchez welcome possibility of closer UK-EU ties

French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have welcomed the possibility of Britain moving closer to the European Union after comments by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. During a visit to Madrid, Macron responded to the prospect of the UK rejoining the EU by saying “Welcome back”. He said a British decision to move in that direction would be positive for the country and for Europeans.

Macron also warned that Britain could not adopt an a la carte relationship with the bloc. He said the UK would not be able to select the freedoms it wanted while rejecting other obligations. Sanchez said Britain’s 2016 decision to leave the EU had been a major loss for both the British population and the European project.

He said Spain would welcome Britain back if it sought to rejoin. Burnham told the BBC that Britain could retain its current arrangement, move towards the EU single market or pursue a customs union. He said another option would be to go “all the way”.

At the Labour Party conference, he said Brexit had done more harm than good and that he would outline different options before an EU-UK summit in November. An EU Commission spokesman said Britain remained a close and valued partner and that the UK government would need to set out how it wanted to develop the relationship. The source said Burnham remains committed to the 2024 Labour manifesto, which ruled out rejoining the EU and returning to the single market.

A move towards membership could trigger a domestic debate over issues including the euro and contributions to the EU budget. The next UK general election is due no later than August 2029.