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Neil Kinnock makes five demands to Andy Burnham about the UK and the EU

20 Jul 2026 3 minute read

Andy Burnham (right) greets former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, ahead of being confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party, at a special conference held at the Trades Union Congress, in central London. Photo Yui Mok/PA Wire

Martin Shipton

Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has put five specific demands to his latest successor aimed at improving Britain’s relationship with the European Union.

In a message to members of the European Movement, Lord Kinnock said: “With Andy Burnham now serving as our new Prime Minister, the UK has an opportunity to reimagine its place in Europe and build a stronger future for our country.

But that opportunity will only be seized if people like us make it clear that the public is ready for a more ambitious approach.

This is why we have five clear asks for the new Prime Minister on the UK’s relationship with Europe:

* Drop the red lines on Europe.

* By the end of 2026, publish a strategy for cementing our place in Europe.

* Make the UK Europe’s closest security partner.

* Launch a well-informed, national conversation on the UK’s European future.

* Put a well-considered route to EU membership in Labour’s next manifesto.

That’s why I’m asking you to sign the petition calling on the new Prime Minister to take these five practical steps towards building and securing the UK’s place in Europe.

“We cannot let the ‘red lines’, mentioned in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, get in the way of building a fresh relationship of alignment and trust with Europe.

“Global developments since mid-2024 have radically intensified the political, security and economic need for that, and they have also emphasised the mutual advantage of such progress.

“For nearly 50 years, as I recognised the increasing reality that – in the modern world – only superpowers can have real political and economic sovereignty. This is why I have advocated full and influential engagement with our neighbouring democracies in our continent. That rational belief has been strengthened by the challenges we face today and will face together in the future.

“The good news is that the conversation has changed, with more and more people now recognising that working more closely with Europe will forever be in the UK’s national interest. We now have a chance to turn that growing public support into political action, and doing this is the truly patriotic course which is fully in the interests of the people of the UK.

“None of this will happen unless we speak up. Throughout our history, change has always been driven by ordinary people refusing to accept that things cannot be different and better.

“That’s exactly what pro-Europeans have been doing for years. Now, with the arrival of a new Prime Minister, we have a chance to make our voices heard.”

‘Red lines’

The 2024 Labour election manifesto’s “red lines” were no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.

With the red lines in place, those who support a closer relationship between the UK and the EU argue that it will be impossible to achieve the desired benefits for the British economy, which has been badly damaged by Brexit and withdrawal from the single market and the customs union.

Lord Kinnock asks people to sign the petition and help show Andy Burnham that the UK is ready to move forward with Europe.

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