Politics · United Kingdom · 50 mins ago
Cameron warns Burnham against pursuing EU membership
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is exploring closer ties between Britain and the EU ahead of a summit in Brussels next week.
Former prime minister David Cameron has warned him against pursuing membership, saying a new debate over whether Britain should rejoin could be long and divisive.
Cameron also argues that signalling a path back into the EU could make European leaders less willing to offer Britain a good partnership deal.
Burnham is due to meet EU leaders in Dublin at a gathering of the European Political Community to discuss options for the relationship.
He hopes to use the Brussels summit to begin a conversation about Britain’s future with the EU, including the possibility of rejoining.
Cameron says Britain should focus on improving its partnership with the EU, while addressing domestic problems he says are not caused by Brexit.
The Brussels summit next week is the next step in Burnham’s effort to shape ties with the bloc.
David Cameron warned Andy Burnham against seeking to take Britain back into the European Union.
Cameron said pursuing rejoining could weaken Britain’s position in negotiations with the EU.
Burnham plans to discuss Britain’s future relationship with the bloc with European leaders in Dublin.
He is expected to lay the groundwork for a UK-EU summit in Brussels next week.
Cameron said Britain should focus on strengthening its partnership with the EU rather than reopening the membership debate.
- Who
- David Cameron warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham against pursuing EU membership.
- What
- Cameron said a move towards rejoining could weaken Britain’s negotiating position. Burnham plans to discuss options for Britain’s relationship with the EU.
- When
- The article was published on 12 November 2026. Burnham was due to travel to Dublin that day.
- Where
- Burnham was due to attend a European Political Community gathering in Dublin. A UK-EU summit was planned for Brussels the following week.
- Why
- Cameron argued that pursuing rejoining could weaken the prospects of a good partnership deal and revive a lengthy debate over EU membership.
Andy Burnham and his government
David Cameron
Rejoining the EU
Andy Burnham and his government
Burnham plans to launch a conversation about Britain’s future with Brussels, with fully rejoining among the options.
David Cameron
Cameron said the country should not reopen the debate about whether to join or leave.
Negotiating approach
Andy Burnham and his government
Burnham is said to hope that signalling willingness to rejoin could help secure a deal to align Britain with EU rules.
David Cameron
Cameron warned that such a signal could weaken Britain’s position and lead EU countries to offer a less favourable partnership deal.
Cameron warned Burnham against seeking to take Britain back into the EU.
Burnham was due to attend a European Political Community gathering in Dublin and meet EU leaders.
A UK-EU summit was planned in Brussels.
- Warning
- David Cameron cautioned Andy Burnham against pursuing EU membership
- Dublin gathering
- European Political Community
- Planned summit
- Brussels, the following week
- Membership option
- Fully rejoining the EU was among the options Burnham planned to discuss
What people are saying
Instead of launching an argument about rejoining – which I think would be a very long and painful argument, and who knows where it would end up – focus on how do we be the best friend, best neighbour, best partner.
Do we really want to go into another decade-long debate about whether we should be in or out, when actually we should deal with our own problems while making the partnership model work?
I'm a democrat, a believer in democracy – we voted to leave.