Burnham blames Brexit for small boats crisis and says UK should rejoin EU 'in my lifetime'

Prime minister rules out freedom of movement without a referendum, but signals it could go in Labour's next manifesto

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published26 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit for Britain's small boats crisis, saying leaving the European Union left the UK with "weaker control" over immigration, and has repeated his wish to see Britain rejoin the bloc in his lifetime.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Burnham said he did not think "things have worked out as people said they would at the time, particularly when it comes to immigration."

"I think we've got weaker control now," he said. "The reason the small boats crisis has arisen is because we can't return people, and people know we can't do that in the same way that we used to be able to do."

The prime minister ruled out a return to EU freedom of movement rules without a referendum, after signalling he could include the move in Labour's next election manifesto. He said he was "not proposing any changes in this parliament" and would not move away from the red lines in the Labour manifesto.

Asked whether he would allow the UK to join the EU freedom of movement scheme without a referendum, he said: "No, I mean I wasn't saying that yesterday. I was asked about how things have changed in the 10 years since Brexit, and the truth of the matter is we've lost immigration control in the way that we once had."

On Saturday, the prime minister admitted he was open to reintroducing freedom of movement, a comment that has boosted hopes among campaigners that the UK could look to rejoin the bloc after the next general election. It came weeks after he said the UK could go "all the way" and rejoin, while insisting the British public would "be the boss" of its own future.

Asked whether he would like to see the UK rejoin the EU, Mr Burnham said: "In my lifetime I would like to see that happen but I am not going to move ahead of the public, I am not going to dictate."

More than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since data began on 1 January 2018. The record for the largest number of arrivals in a calendar year is 45,774, set in 2022. In the first six months of 2026, the number of people arriving by small boat fell 41 per cent and the number of boats 47 per cent compared with the previous year.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The prime minister has reopened the Brexit debate in public, weeks before the next general election campaign is expected to begin.
Immigration and small boat crossings remain among the most contentious issues in British politics, and the government's own numbers show crossings falling sharply in early 2026.
A future manifesto pledge on freedom of movement would mark a major policy shift and, by Mr Burnham's own account, would be put to the public in a referendum.

Background

Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016 and formally departed in 2020, ending free movement of people between the UK and the bloc. Cross-Channel small boat arrivals rose sharply in the years that followed, becoming one of the defining political issues of the post-Brexit era. Mr Burnham argues that leaving the EU weakened the UK's ability to return migrants, which he says is the root cause of the crisis.

What to Watch

Whether freedom of movement or any EU-related pledge is included in Labour's next election manifesto.
Whether the 41 per cent fall in small boat arrivals in the first half of 2026 is sustained over the rest of the year.
How opposition parties and EU leaders respond to the prime minister's comments in the coming days.

Sources

Burnham: Brexit is to blame for Britain’s small boats crisis · The Independent UK

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedBurnham blamed Brexit for Britain's small-boats crisis.The Independent UK: “Burnham: Brexit is to blame for Britain’s small boats crisis.”
SupportedBurnham said he would like to see the UK rejoin the EU “in my lifetime”.The Independent UK: ““In my lifetime I would like to see that happen but I am not going to move ahead of the public, I am not going to dictate.””
SupportedBurnham ruled out returning to EU freedom-of-movement rules without a referendum.The Independent UK: “Mr Burnham ruled out a return for the UK to EU freedom of movement rules without a referendum”
SupportedBurnham signalled that a return to freedom of movement could be included in Labour's next election manifesto.The Independent UK: “after he signalled he could include the move in Labour’s next election manifesto”
SupportedBurnham said the UK had “weaker control” over immigration.The Independent UK: ““I think we've got weaker control now.””
SupportedBurnham said the small-boats crisis arose because the UK could not return people as it used to.The Independent UK: “The reason the small boats crisis has arisen is because we can't return people, and people know we can't do that in the same way that we used to be able to do.”
SupportedBurnham said he was not proposing changes in this parliament and would not move away from Labour's manifesto red lines.The Independent UK: ““I’m not proposing any changes in this parliament. I’m not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto.””
SupportedAsked whether he would allow the UK to join the EU freedom-of-movement scheme without a referendum, Burnham replied, “No, I mean I wasn't saying that yesterday.”The Independent UK: ““No, I mean I wasn’t saying that yesterday. I was asked about how things have changed in the 10 years since Brexit, and the truth of the matter is we’ve lost immigration control in the way that we once had.””
Partly supportedBurnham was open to reintroducing freedom of movement on Saturday, and the comment boosted hopes among campaigners that the UK could rejoin after the next general election.The Independent UK: “The prime minister admitted on Saturday he is open to reintroducing freedom of movement in an intervention that has boosted hopes that the UK could look to rejoin the bloc after the next general election.”
SupportedMore than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since data began on 1 January 2018.The Independent UK: “More than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since data began on January 1 2018.”
SupportedThe calendar-year record for small-boat arrivals is 45,774, set in 2022.The Independent UK: “The record for the largest number of migrants to arrive in the UK in a calendar year is 45,774, which was set in 2022.”
SupportedIn the first six months of 2026, small-boat arrivals fell 41 per cent and the number of boats fell 47 per cent compared with the previous year.The Independent UK: “in the first six months of 2026, the number of people arriving in the UK by small boat fell 41 per cent and the number of boats 47 per cent compared to the previous year.”