UK PM Burnham says he wants to discuss a return to EU freedom of movement

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to discuss a possible return to EU freedom-of-movement rules for workers, a key issue in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He acknowledged that the pre-Brexit influx of EU workers created challenges, while suggesting that short-term migration involving people who later returned home could be less difficult than migration today. Burnham called for an honest discussion about how immigration to the UK has changed and has previously raised the possibility of Britain applying to rejoin the EU one day. Long-term net migration nearly halved in 2025, falling from 331,000 to 171,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.