British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he wants to see Britain rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, while stressing that it is not necessarily the option to pursue now.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Burnham was asked whether, ideally, he wanted Britain to rejoin the EU.
“I want to look at the options,” he said after pausing, prompting presenter Nick Robinson to suggest the hesitation indicated he wanted to say yes but did not want to.
“I have said it, there’s no point me denying it, I’ve said in the book I would like to see Britain rejoin in my lifetime,” Burnham responded.
“But it’s not necessarily the case that is now. Because we need to understand what would be the nature of how we would look at the different options.”
Burnham outlined four possible approaches: maintaining the status quo, joining a customs union, joining both a customs union and the single market, or rejoining the EU.
The 56-year-old PM has again expressed support for eventual EU membership while saying the different options should first be examined.
