UK-EU ties options due before summit, Burnham says

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday he will set out options for future ties with the European Union closer to a planned summit with the bloc later this year.

In his first speech as Labour leader, Burnham told the party's annual conference that “Brexit has done more harm than good” and said Britain needed higher growth and prosperity.

He said Britain would not have a clear long-term path until it decided on its relationship with the EU, which he described as still its largest market. Burnham said the ideas would cover the UK's long-term relationship with European partners and how to work together on immigration.

He also said his government would seek gains for British industries most harmed by Brexit.

The summit had been planned for July in Brussels but was postponed after former prime minister Keir Starmer was ousted as Labour leader and replaced by Burnham. The two sides had hoped to present deals on food and animal safety standards, a youth mobility scheme and linking their emissions trading systems.