Farage Says Burnham Handed Reform an Opening on Brexit
Nigel Farage said Andy Burnham had given him "the biggest boost in my career" by reopening debate over Britain's future relationship with the European Union. He told reporters Burnham's intervention had opened a "huge flank" to Reform UK The Guardian. He spoke on 1 October 2026 before a Reform UK rally in Doncaster.
Campaign launch in Doncaster
The Doncaster racecourse event was the first in a series around Britain on what Reform would do in its first 100 days in government. That phrase means the early window when a new government tries to set direction. Farage told hundreds of supporters: "Today I'm back on the road and today is when our general election campaign starts." The tour theme was "100 days to save Britain."
Farage said he would relish a fight with Burnham in red wall areas such as Doncaster over rejoining the EU. Red wall describes seats in the Midlands and northern England that backed Labour for decades. "Bring it on, I say," he said. In another account he said: "He might have just given me the biggest boost in my career I've ever had. Thank you, Andy" Politico. He also said Burnham had "opened the door to Reform in the most extraordinary way" by reigniting the Brexit debate.
What Farage said about rejoining
Farage dismissed polls showing as much as 59% of the public favoured rejoining the EU. He claimed rejoining would cost 25 billion pounds a year and would mean joining Schengen, the passport-free travel zone, and recommitting to joining the euro, the shared currency. Like rejoining a club with an entry fee and house rules, it would mean accepting those terms. Reform said the "100 days to save Britain" theme had been planned before Burnham's announcement on UK-EU relations.
Background on Burnham and other pressures
Reform sources claimed Burnham's intervention had energised them and that some donors, or large political funders, were already discussing paying for a rerun of the 2016 campaign. The backdrop was Burnham's bid to find consensus on EU ties, which Reuters on 29 September 2026 described as risking reopening the Brexit debate. In June 2026 Farage was quoted on Reform's website as saying "We're not going to rejoin, not even any attempt to rejoin." In May 2026 the party reported that Burnham confirmed he wants to rejoin the EU in future but would not advocate for it in the coming by-election, a vote to fill an empty seat. It also reported that Burnham admitted there was a "long-term case" for rejoining although he was "not advocating that" in the by-election. Separately, Channel 4 News broadcast an undercover investigation in which some of Farage's team were filmed appearing to plot to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations. Farage said Reform's internal inquiry report on the controversy was done and would be released imminently.
The broader context here is that Farage is using Europe to draw a dividing line and drive turnout, rather than debating trade details. Talk of a familiar funding model and of Burnham as a preferred opponent fits that approach. The question is whether 59% support in polls becomes an issue people vote on, and whether donor talk turns into a 2016-style organisation. Burnham's consensus language leaves room for rivals to define it. Farage intends to fill that space first.
