[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f2lh0s8uadowsx":3},{"_id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"subtitle":7,"kind":8,"cards":9,"tags":57,"categories":59,"source":61,"lang":64,"author":65,"audioState":68,"stats":69,"publishedAt":72,"renderer":73},"6abd4cacca21c797c7ea26c4","macron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca","Macron says ‘welcome back’ to Burnham suggestion UK could rejoin EU","French president, speaking alongside Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez, says EU bid would be good news for UK and Europeans The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has reacted warmly to Andy Burnham’s suggestion that the UK could rejoin the EU.","news",[10,12,17,22,27,32,37,42,47,52],{"headline":6,"body":7,"imageUrl":11,"sourceImageUrl":11},"https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F889effc467d5b23e7db3ff747541b339e7e50c56\u002F191_0_6880_5504\u002Fmaster\u002F6880.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=71c2c2e73c39680f22c347618f893d81",{"headline":13,"body":14,"imageUrl":15,"images":16},"“Welcome back,” the French leader said in English","“Welcome back,” the French leader said in English with a smile at a news conference in Madrid on Wednesday. Macron continued in French: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans.” Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said his country would open its arms to any bid from the UK to rejoin the EU.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F1.webp",{"local":15},{"headline":18,"body":19,"imageUrl":20,"images":21},"The two leaders were responding to the British","The two leaders were responding to the British prime minister’s speech at the Labour party conference in which Burnham said Britain would not have a clear path “until we decide on a long-term relationship with what is still our largest market” and that Brexit had “done more harm than good”.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F2.webp",{"local":20},{"headline":23,"body":24,"imageUrl":25,"images":26},"In a series of interviews on Wednesday, Burnham","In a series of interviews on Wednesday, Burnham said the government could maintain the status quo, seek a customs union, return to the single market or “go all the way” for full EU membership.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F3.webp",{"local":25},{"headline":28,"body":29,"imageUrl":30,"images":31},"Macron said the British had “always been useful","Macron said the British had “always been useful in helping us simplify things” when the UK was part of the EU and were “demanding partners”. Burnham “is right to have this boldness”, he added.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F4.webp",{"local":30},{"headline":33,"body":34,"imageUrl":35,"images":36},"Earlier, Macron, who has frequently accused the proponents","Earlier, Macron, who has frequently accused the proponents of Brexit of misleading the public, said Brexit had been “the biggest lie of the last 30 years”, pointing to shortfalls in promised economic growth and trade opportunities.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F5.webp",{"local":35},{"headline":38,"body":39,"imageUrl":40,"images":41},"Sandro Gozi, an Italian Social Democrat, told the","Sandro Gozi, an Italian Social Democrat, told the Guardian: “Burnham has finally swept away the so-called red lines that have constrained the debate on Britain’s relationship with Europe. That is a welcome and important step.”","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F6.webp",{"local":40},{"headline":43,"body":44,"imageUrl":45,"images":46},"The MEP, who co-chairs the EU-UK parliamentary partnership","The MEP, who co-chairs the EU-UK parliamentary partnership assembly, added: “Europe should respond with the same openness. We should be ready to turn the page and build a new EU-UK partnership, removing unnecessary barriers and restoring much closer economic and political cooperation.”","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F7.webp",{"local":45},{"headline":48,"body":49,"imageUrl":50,"images":51},"EU officials welcomed the change in tone but","EU officials welcomed the change in tone but said it was up to the UK to define what it wanted from the future relationship. They have told their British counterparts that the UK is welcome to join the customs union or single market via membership of the European Economic Area.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F8.webp",{"local":50},{"headline":53,"body":54,"imageUrl":55,"images":56},"In recent weeks Brussels has again mooted British","In recent weeks Brussels has again mooted British membership of the customs union as an answer to the bloc’s Made in Europe policy, which could exclude British clean technology and electric vehicles from valuable European subsidy programmes and public contracts.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fmacron-says-welcome-back-to-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejo-d30207ca\u002F9.webp",{"local":55},[58],"politics",[60],"World & Politics",{"name":62,"url":63},"Guardian World","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theguardian.com\u002Fworld\u002F2026\u002Fsep\u002F30\u002Fmacron-welcome-back-burnham-suggestion-uk-could-rejoin-eu","en",{"handle":66,"displayName":67},"spots","Spots","queued",{"views":70,"likes":71,"saves":71,"shares":71,"completions":71,"opens":71,"skips":71,"depthSum":71},1,0,"2026-09-30T17:53:48.644Z","local"]