Starmer keeps door open to EU re-entry as No 10 faces claims of Burnham byelection sabotage

Sir Keir Starmer has raised the prospect of the UK rejoining the European Union “years down the line”, a move that allies of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham have accused Downing Street of orchestrating to sabotage his campaign in the Makerfield by-election. The Prime Minister’s refusal to rule out a future Labour pledge to rejoin the bloc, coupled with his own suggestion that a debate on Brexit “might happen years down the line”, has placed Burnham in a difficult position as he seeks to win over a constituency that voted decisively to Leave in 2016.

Starmer opens door to EU rejoining debate

Speaking at the Great North summit in Leeds on Monday, Starmer said he remained “grounded” in his current role and focused on making the UK “closer to the E.U.” But his comments were immediately interpreted as a deliberate attempt to undermine Burnham, who is fighting to distance himself from his previous Remain stance. Downing Street has declined to rule out the possibility of Labour pledging to rejoin the bloc ahead of the next general election, despite the party’s official policy red lines — set after the 2024 election — which commit it to not joining the customs union, single market, or freedom of movement for at least the duration of the current parliament. Nick Thomas-Symonds, a minister involved in the EU relations reset, said as recently as September 2025 that he could not see the UK rejoining in his lifetime.

Starmer’s shift has been seen as a calculated political move that threatens to expose Burnham’s own evolving position. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has abandoned his previous call to reverse Brexit and now says he “respects” the 2016 result. In his Leeds speech, he told the crowd: “Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we’re just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other.” He has called for a “relentless domestic focus”, arguing that “the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has seized on the ambiguity, accusing Burnham of wanting to allow “500 million people the right to move here without any thought on how this would affect schools, doctors and dentists.”

Burnham distances himself from Remain past

Burnham’s campaign for the Makerfield by-election — triggered by the resignation of former MP Josh Simons specifically to allow the mayor to stand — has been built on a promise to change Labour from within. He has described what the party has offered over the last 40 years as “simply not good enough”, and said a vote for him would be a vote “to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust.” The constituency voted heavily Leave, forcing Burnham to recalibrate his public stance on Europe while still advocating for close ties with Brussels. He has acknowledged that Brexit has been damaging, but insists the priority must be fixing domestic problems.

Allies of Burnham have accused elements within the Labour leadership of attempting to “sabotage” his by-election campaign, with fears that Downing Street may “soft-play” its support rather than fully back the mayor. The accusation crystallises the deep internal tensions within the party as Starmer fights to hold on to his position.

Leadership contest speculation intensifies

The pressure on Starmer has been mounting since Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary last week, calling on the Prime Minister to quit and citing a loss of confidence in his leadership and the government’s “drift” and absence of “vision”. Streeting has stated that it is “now clear” Starmer will not lead Labour into the next general election. Starmer, however, has insisted he will not “walk away” from Downing Street and has refused to set a timetable for his departure. He will chair his first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday since Streeting’s resignation.

New polling from YouGov of Labour members suggests that Andy Burnham is the preferred choice to succeed Starmer, with 47% ranking him as their top choice against 31% for the Prime Minister. In a head-to-head contest, Burnham would beat Starmer 59% to 37%. Another poll gives Burnham a net positive acceptability rating among the public of +20, making him the most “acceptable” successor, compared to Angela Rayner at -17 and Wes Streeting at -8.

Adding to the intrigue, Labour MPs have been told by allies of Sir Keir that Burnham could bring back former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was expelled from the party in 2024 after a row over antisemitism. Corbyn was first suspended in October 2020 following his response to a report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission that found the Labour Party under his leadership had committed “serious failings” and “unlawful harassment and discrimination” over antisemitism. Corbyn stated at the time that the scale of the problem had been “overstated for political reasons”. Starmer, who succeeded him, apologised and declared that antisemitism has “no place whatsoever in our party or our movement”. The suggestion that Burnham might restore Corbyn to the Labour fold is seen by analysts as a deliberate attempt by Starmer’s camp to damage Burnham’s credibility with moderate voters and senior party figures.

Economic backdrop darkens

The political turmoil comes against a worsening economic picture. The Office for National Statistics reported that the UK unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in the three months to March 2026, up from 4.9% in the previous period and slightly above the expected 4.9%. Meanwhile, regular earnings growth (excluding bonuses) cooled to 3.4% in the same period, down from 3.6%, though total pay growth including bonuses rose to 4.1%. In real terms, adjusted for CPIH inflation, annual regular pay growth was 0.4% in November 2025 to January 2026, and total pay growth was 0.5%. Forbes Advisor noted that wage growth is now outpacing inflation, which stood at 3.3% in the year to March.

Farage faces renewed scrutiny over £5m gift

Separately, Nigel Farage is facing fresh questions over a £5 million gift from a Reform UK donor, Christopher Harborne. Labour chairwoman Anna Turley said: “It’s clear he’s treating the public for fools and thinks he can just brush this scandal under the carpet. He can’t. First, the reason why a Thai-based crypto-billionaire gave him a multi-million pound donation changed, and now the claims about how he paid for one of his houses is being called into question. His story just keeps on changing.” Shadow cabinet office minister Alex Burghart added: “This extraordinary sum of money is more than most people will see in a lifetime. The public deserve full transparency about who has put money in Farage’s private accounts and the influence they have bought with that cash.” Parliamentary authorities are investigating whether Farage breached Commons rules by not declaring the gift after becoming an MP in 2024. Farage claims the money was a personal “reward for campaigning for Brexit for 27 years” and that he bought a £1.4 million house in cash using his fee from appearing on “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here”. However, analysis by the Financial Times suggests his company accounts are “not consistent” with that claim. Christopher Harborne donated £9 million to Reform UK in 2025 and a total of £12 million that year.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission report that led to Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension found that Labour under his leadership had committed unlawful harassment and discrimination. Starmer has repeatedly apologised for the party’s failings and promised that such behaviour would never be tolerated again. It is that legacy which Starmer’s allies are now invoking as they seek to frame any Burnham leadership as a return to the party’s most divisive past.