French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said they would welcome the United Kingdom returning to the European Union after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised the possibility of closer ties with the bloc, including potentially seeking full EU membership. Speaking alongside Sanchez in Madrid on Wednesday, Macron said “welcome back” when discussing Britain and added that Burnham was moving in that direction.

Sanchez described Brexit as a “huge loss” for both Britain and Europe and said Spain would “certainly welcome” the UK back into the EU. He said Spain would open its arms again to Britain, citing the longstanding relationship between the two countries. The comments came after Burnham said his government would examine several options for resetting Britain's relationship with the 27-member bloc.

Burnham, who became British prime minister in July after Keir Starmer resigned, told the BBC that the options could include rejoining the European single market, entering a customs union or pursuing full EU membership. He said the government needed to assess what was achievable and consider the “pros and cons” of each option. At the Labour Party's annual conference in Manchester, Burnham had also said Britain's departure from the EU had done “more harm than good”.

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The British prime minister said Brexit had contributed to what he described as “a decade of low growth” and argued that the UK needed to establish its long-term relationship with its largest trading partner. Burnham said he planned to present different options ahead of a summit with the EU expected later this year. Speaking to BBC radio, he indicated that the government could consider closer economic arrangements with the bloc or potentially “go all the way”.

The European Commission said the decision on the future relationship rests with Britain. Commission spokesperson Balazs Ujvari described the UK as a “close and valued partner” and said it was for the British government to determine how it wanted to develop relations with the EU. He added that the bloc remained open to discussing options put forward by London. The comments come as the UK and EU continue efforts to improve relations following Brexit.

An EU-UK summit is expected to take place in Brussels later this year, with possible discussions covering carbon markets, food and agricultural trade and a youth mobility programme involving travel and work. Britain has already sought closer alignment with the EU in areas including farming, food standards, carbon markets and electricity markets. However, under the current post-Brexit arrangements, the UK does not have a formal role in the EU's decision-making process.

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