British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled that London wants to move beyond its cautious post-Brexit approach to the European Union, arguing that Britain must be “bolder” in pursuing closer ties with the bloc. His meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa comes ahead of a planned UK-EU summit later this year, which both sides see as an opportunity to deepen cooperation.
Burnham met Costa on Sunday while travelling to Kyiv to co-chair a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”, in his first visit to Ukraine since becoming prime minister. His office said the British leader emphasised the need to build on existing defence and security cooperation with European allies and expand collaboration across the broader UK-EU relationship.
The message represents a potentially important shift in London’s approach to Europe. Since Labour came to power in 2024, Britain has sought to improve relations with the EU without reopening the fundamental question of Brexit. Progress, however, has been slow, with disagreements continuing over what the UK can expect from the bloc while remaining outside its main institutions.
Burnham’s call for greater ambition suggests that London increasingly sees closer European cooperation as a strategic necessity rather than simply an economic preference.
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Security is driving Britain closer to Europe
The strongest argument for a closer relationship is increasingly coming from security rather than trade.
Britain remains one of Europe’s most significant military powers and has been deeply involved in supporting Ukraine. Burnham’s decision to travel to Kyiv for his first visit as prime minister underlines the importance his government places on Britain’s role in European security.
The wider European security environment has changed dramatically since Brexit. Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed European governments to increase defence spending, strengthen military-industrial cooperation and reconsider their dependence on the United States for security.
Burnham’s discussions with Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden focused partly on mechanisms for increasing defence spending. The two leaders discussed the Canada-backed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank as well as the Multilateral Defence Mechanism launched by Britain, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland.
That cooperation illustrates an emerging reality: Britain may no longer be an EU member, but it remains deeply connected to Europe’s security architecture.
For London, closer coordination with European governments could therefore strengthen Britain’s influence while allowing it to retain its independent defence and foreign-policy decision-making.
The Brexit dilemma remains
The difficulty is that closer cooperation with the EU inevitably raises questions about the political boundaries of Brexit.
Britain has attempted to improve its relationship with Brussels while remaining outside the EU’s principal structures. That has created a difficult balancing act. London wants to reduce the economic and political friction created by Brexit, but it does not want to accept the full obligations associated with membership.
The EU, meanwhile, has its own interests. Brussels has little incentive to provide Britain with the benefits of closer integration without securing commitments that protect the integrity of the single market.
Burnham’s language about being “bolder” therefore raises an important question: how much closer can Britain realistically move toward the EU without confronting the unresolved compromises at the heart of the post-Brexit relationship?
The answer may depend on whether London focuses on areas where strategic interests are already aligned.
Defence offers the clearest opening
Security and defence provide the most immediate space for deeper cooperation.
Britain has strong military capabilities, while European countries are under increasing pressure to expand their own defence capacity. Cooperation between the UK and European governments can therefore serve both sides.
Burnham’s discussions with Costa and Frieden point toward a model in which Britain participates more actively in European defence initiatives without formally returning to EU structures.
Such an approach could also become increasingly important as European governments seek to strengthen their ability to respond to security threats independently.
For Britain, the advantage is considerable. A stronger role in European defence could allow London to retain its influence across the continent while reinforcing its position as a major NATO power.
For the EU, British military capabilities and defence expertise remain valuable despite Brexit.
Trade remains more complicated
Economic relations are likely to prove much harder.
Britain has been attempting to improve trading ties with the EU since Labour’s election in 2024, but negotiations have produced frustration on both sides. The fundamental problem remains unchanged: Britain wants closer economic cooperation while preserving the political autonomy associated with leaving the bloc.
The upcoming UK-EU summit could therefore become a test of whether the two sides can identify areas of practical cooperation without reopening the broader Brexit settlement.
There is also a wider strategic incentive for both sides to make progress. Britain remains closely connected to European markets, while the EU has an interest in maintaining stable relations with one of Europe’s largest economies and most important security powers.
The challenge is turning that mutual interest into agreements that are politically acceptable in both London and Brussels.
The Ukraine factor
Burnham’s visit to Kyiv also demonstrates how the Ukraine war is reshaping Britain’s relationship with Europe.
The conflict has created an increasingly integrated European security response, with Britain working alongside EU members despite remaining outside the bloc.
That cooperation could become the foundation for a broader relationship.
Rather than attempting to reverse Brexit, Britain could increasingly pursue what amounts to strategic integration in selected areas, particularly defence, intelligence, security and support for Ukraine.
This would allow London to remain outside the EU’s political structures while still becoming more closely embedded in European strategic decision-making.
What happens at the UK-EU summit?
The upcoming summit will provide an important test of Burnham’s approach.
If Britain wants to be “bolder”, it will need to demonstrate that the rhetoric is supported by concrete proposals. The EU, for its part, will have to decide how far it is prepared to accommodate a former member seeking closer cooperation while maintaining considerable distance from the bloc’s core institutions.
The most likely outcome is therefore not a dramatic reversal of Brexit but a gradual expansion of practical cooperation.
Defence and security are likely to move fastest because the strategic incentives are strongest. Trade and regulatory cooperation will remain more politically sensitive, while issues connected to mobility and Britain’s relationship with the EU’s internal market could prove particularly difficult.
Burnham’s approach ultimately reflects a broader transformation in Britain’s post-Brexit calculations. The strategic environment has changed, and the costs of remaining distant from European partners are becoming more apparent.
The central question is no longer simply whether Britain should be inside or outside the EU. It is whether London can build a relationship close enough to benefit from European cooperation while remaining sufficiently independent to preserve the political objectives that Brexit established.
Burnham’s call for Britain to be “bolder” suggests that his government believes that balance is possible. The negotiations ahead will determine how far it can actually be achieved.
With information from Reuters.
