Britain would be welcomed back into EU with 'open arms,' France and Spain say after PM's comments on second Brexit referendum
Andy Burnham pledged to revisit the UK's relationship with the EU during his speech at Labour's conference, claiming Brexit had done "more harm than good"
The French president has responded warmly to Andy Burnham's suggestion that the UK could seek to rejoin the European Union.
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Speaking in Madrid on Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron said in English: “Welcome back."
He continued in French: “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans.”
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said that his country would welcome Britain back into the bloc with "open arms".
It comes after Mr Burnham pledged to revisit the UK's relationship with the EU during his speech at Labour conference, as he laid into the impact of Brexit claiming it had done "more harm than good".
Labour was elected on a manifesto which promised no return to the EU’s single market, the customs union or freedom of movement.
However, Mr Burnham has repeatedly indicated he wanted to explore much closer ties with Brussels, including measures to tackle immigration.
Mr Burnham's comments have been met with a cooler reception in Brussels, with warnings that Britain would need to agree to extensive terms in order to rejoin the fold.
Bureaucrats are said to be wary of a perceived enduring view in Britain that “the EU needs us more than we need them”.
The Prime Minister has been warned that rejoining the bloc could require potentially unacceptable concessions from the UK.
The suggestions mooted by Mr Burnham include seeking a customs union, a return to the single market or to "go all the way" and secure full membership.
EU officials have stressed that joining the customs union would require full alignment with EU trade policy and tariffs, limiting Britain's independent trade policy.
The single market would require signing up to the free movement of people, goods and services. A British request earlier this year for goods-only single market was rejected by Brussels.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy hinted to LBC's Andrew Marr that Burnham could reopen negotiations with Brussels when asked if the party would go into the next election promising to rejoin the EU.
"Brexit hasn't worked," she told Andrew. "We don't have more control over our lives, over immigration, over the economy than we had a decade ago."
Asked if it was the moment to reopen the argument - in light of a recent poll revealing 99% of British constituencies would vote to rejoin the EU if a poll were held today - she said: "Obviously there are trade-offs, because trying to re-enter the European Union would mean us having to reopen negotiations.
"There would be terms on which the European Union would want us to re-enter that we might not believe were in Britain's interests.
"So I think we need to be clear-eyed about this decision and this conversation. But I do think we ought to be able to have a conversation about these things as a nation."