Downing Street Is Testing Support for Rejoining the EU
Senior officials in Downing Street are reaching out to think-tanks and pollsters to test public support for Britain rejoining the European Union.
The outreach focuses on whether a pledge to rejoin could appear in the next Labour manifesto, the set of promises a party campaigns on. Officials have held talks with several prominent think-tanks — private research groups that develop policy ideas — and pollsters working on projects to set out arguments for rejoining and to measure opinion, according to reporting published on 30 September 2026. The Guardian Aides to Labour leader Andy Burnham have separately spoken to EU experts at a range of organisations about how voters would view such a promise.
Burnham announced in his first conference speech as Labour leader a review of options for Britain's long-term relationship with Europe. He said on 30 September 2026 that those options should include rejoining the EU entirely. That differs from his predecessor Keir Starmer, who had ruled out rejoining.
Burnham replaced Starmer in Downing Street in July. Since taking office, he has shifted the question from settled policy to open review. He told the BBC the UK could go 'all the way' towards rejoining the EU. BBC In separate comments, he said the UK has 'lost some control' over the economy and immigration as a result of leaving the EU.
Downing Street has refused to say whether rejoining the European Union could be one of the options the prime minister considers. BBC The caution followed pressure on 29 September 2026 for Burnham to commit Labour to rejoining after he promised to set out options on the bloc. A Reuters report on 29 September 2026, headlined "Burnham says Britain should weigh EU options including rejoining bloc," summarised the shift. Reuters
Burnham has previously said he would like the UK to rejoin the EU within his lifetime. He has also said he is not tempted to call an early election, which means any manifesto discussion is preparation for a scheduled contest rather than an imminent vote.
The policy debate around him is already busy. The Tony Blair Institute released a paper arguing Burnham should seek talks with Brussels over rejoining as a member if Europe relaxed regulations in sectors including energy and technology. Burnham's comments brought joy among pro-EU campaigners who argue rejoining is the best way to boost UK growth rates.
Polling cited in the debate gives a picture on both sides of the Channel. Two-thirds of EU citizens would back Britain rejoining the bloc, according to a survey reported in June 2026. Most UK voters say Brexit has been bad for the issues they care about. The Guardian
The broader context here is a change in what officials are allowed to ask. Under Starmer, rejoining was excluded from Whitehall consideration. Under Burnham, officials are now authorised to gather evidence, commission opinion testing and consult specialists. That does not amount to a decision to rejoin, or to a referendum pledge. It creates an evidentiary record that could support either a manifesto commitment or a decision to stop short of membership.
Looking at what this means for diplomacy, the sequencing matters. No formal approach to Brussels has been described. The contacts reported so far are domestic, with think-tanks, pollsters and EU experts based in Britain, not negotiations with the Commission or member states. For practitioners, the distinction is between testing a domestic idea with voters and testing what might be negotiable in Brussels, where any future accession terms — the conditions for joining — transition arrangements and budget questions would sit. The Blair Institute suggestion linking membership talks to regulatory relaxation in energy and technology shows one version of how London might present value, but it remains advocacy rather than government policy.
