Andy Burnham has refused to rule out launching a bid for the UK to rejoin the EU, saying the debate is “for another day.”

Speaking to reporters in New York at the United Nations summit on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said his priority was to “build on the good work that Keir [Starmer] did in building bridges” but did not dismiss the idea of reopening the debate in future.

“Our focus at the moment is on the UK-EU summit, which we hope will take place later this year,” Burnham said.

“What we have got to do is now go to the next level in terms of reaching practical agreement that will further boost the British economy, and those issues are the substance of the summit alongside EU requests around youth mobility.

“The other issues you discuss, they are for another day,” he added, according to the Telegraph. 

The Prime Minister has previously said he wanted the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime but tempered the comments during the Makerfield by-election before his return to Westminster.  

He is also under pressure from senior Labour figures to cross manifesto “red lines” on rejoining the customs union. Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has also said that Labour should campaign on a promise to rejoin the economic bloc at the next General Election. 

The proposed UK-EU summit was planned under Starmer but was placed on hold when he resigned in June.

Burnham is set to meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the UN summit on Tuesday.

Burnham raises concern on ‘Made in Europe’ scheme

The EU’s “Made in Europe” scheme, which aims to prioritise big contracts with firms based on the Continent, is expected to be a hot topic of discussion during his negotiations with EU leaders. The scheme is being introduced in response to greater competition from Chinese companies offering goods and services for lower costs. 

Burnham warned that potential British exclusion from the plan could lead to “collateral damage” for UK manufacturers. 

“We do have concerns about Made in Europe, which is something that could affect British industry and British supply chains,” he said.

Manufacturers and some services companies have raised concerns over the programme. Logistics UK chief executive Ben Fletcher, who represents business operating across trade and moving goods, said the EU and UK should look to ease rules to make goods more competitive. 

“Europe, including the UK, will become more competitive and resilient by strengthening the supply chains connecting trusted trading partners, not by putting new barriers between them,” Fletcher said.

When Burnham was asked about the announcement on Canada’s status as an “associate member” to the bloc, he said: “The European Union made it clear that that wasn’t open to us.”