A government minister has declined to rule out a pledge to rejoin the EU appearing in Labour's next general election manifesto, raising the prospect that Andy Burnham could revisit Brexit if he leads the party into the next parliament. Minister for European relations Hamish Falconer said the government is "not talking about rejoining today" but stressed that future manifesto content "will be a question for the Labour Party", leaving the door open despite the current administration's insistence it is not seeking to reverse the 2016 referendum result.

Falconer was speaking to Sky News about how relations with Brussels might evolve following Sir Keir Starmer's earlier "reset" with the EU, saying he wanted to build on that work given how threats from Eastern Europe, economic security and disinformation have intensified. Asked about former Labour leader Neil Kinnock's recent call, made to The Independent, for Britain to rejoin the EU as the "only patriotic thing to do", Falconer said such questions were "not yet sorted" but insisted the government was "not backsliding" from the referendum outcome. Burnham has previously voiced support for rejoining the EU in principle but later said he would not pursue it, warning against a "permanent rut" of constant argument, while Kinnock has urged him not to be bound by Labour's current "red lines" ruling out the single market, customs union and free movement.