Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday that rejoining the European Union stands among the options his government will examine for Britain's long-term relationship with the bloc.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Burnham outlined a range of possibilities, including maintaining the current post-Brexit arrangements, pursuing a customs union, returning to the single market, or going "all the way" to full EU membership. He said ministers would assess "what is doable" and weigh the "pros and cons" of each.

"We could stay as we are. That's definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay," Burnham stated. "We could look at what George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market, or we could go all the way."

The comments follow Burnham's keynote speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, where he pledged to set out options for closer EU ties at a delayed UK-EU summit later this year. He described the current Brexit settlement as having caused "more harm than good" and said the country could not afford another decade of "drift and division."

Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister in July after Starmer stepped down, has previously expressed a personal desire to see Britain rejoin the EU in his lifetime while noting it may not happen immediately. His remarks mark the furthest any sitting prime minister has gone toward reopening the Brexit question since the 2016 referendum.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the development, saying "Welcome back" during a news conference in Madrid. Right-wing critics in Britain quickly condemned the move as a potential reversal of the referendum result and a reopening of divisive national debates.

Burnham's government remains bound by Labour's 2024 manifesto commitments that ruled out rejoining the single market, customs union, or restoring freedom of movement. Any shift toward full membership would likely require a new manifesto pledge ahead of the next general election, due by 2029.

The prime minister said he wants clarity on Britain's direction for the next decade rather than leaving the EU relationship unresolved.