British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he wants a discussion on returning to European Union freedom of movement for workers

25 October 2026

Andy Burnham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, told The Sunday Times that he wants to discuss Britain returning to the European Union's freedom of movement rules for workers. That rule was a key issue in the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. Burnham said European worker immigration before departure had posed significant challenges but was perhaps a less difficult kind of immigration than the present pattern, and he called for an honest discussion on the balance of migration. He argued that freedom of movement should be considered as part of a broader reset of relations with the European Union, including data sharing on migration, and cited the loss of access to Eurodac. The Office for National Statistics has reported that long-term net migration to the United Kingdom nearly halved in 2025, falling to 171,000 from 331,000 a year earlier, a drop not seen since before the post-Brexit immigration system was introduced. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the comments were a betrayal of Brexit. Burnham is due to meet senior European Union officials at a summit on 20 November.