Yearly Archives: 2026

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham declined to rule out including a pledge to rejoin the European Union in Labour’s next election manifesto. He made the remark to reporters on September 22, while traveling to the United Nations General Assembly. It has reopened the UK rejoin EU debate at a moment when Burnham’s government is trying to project stability heading into this year’s Labour Party conference.

Reporters asked directly whether he could exclude an EU-rejoin commitment from the party’s platform. Burnham said the question was “for another day,” according to Euronews. He steered the conversation instead toward his government’s efforts to rebuild ties with Brussels through diplomatic channels already underway.

What Burnham actually said to reopen the UK rejoin EU debate

Burnham told reporters his “immediate priority” was to “build on the good work that Keir did in rebuilding bridges” with the EU. He wants to reach a “practical agreement that will further boost the British economy,” a reference to his predecessor’s efforts to repair post-Brexit relations. He stopped well short of endorsing a formal rejoin campaign. But his refusal to rule it out was enough to restart a debate many in his own party had hoped to leave behind.

The comments were notable given Burnham’s own history on the issue. He has previously spoken in favor of the UK rejoining the EU. He moderated that position during his leadership campaign earlier in 2026, telling supporters at the time that “the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments.”

Why this is politically dangerous for Labour

Opposition leaders moved quickly to frame Burnham’s comments as a return to Brexit-era hostilities. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned that Labour risked “restarting the Brexit wars.” Reform UK’s Richard Tice went further, calling a potential rejoin debate “a new Battle of Britain.”

Within Labour itself, senior figures have not been unanimous on how forcefully to raise the subject. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has previously called Brexit “catastrophic,” reflecting a wing of the party more comfortable revisiting the question. Others have urged caution after Labour’s disappointing results in local elections in May 2026. Some in the party blamed those results partly on unresolved arguments over Britain’s relationship with Europe.

The Labour conference backdrop

CNN’s coverage of Labour’s party conference this week described Burnham as riding high politically, even as “tough choices” loom on multiple fronts. The EU question adds another difficult decision to that list. Raising it energizes a segment of Labour’s base that never accepted Brexit. But it also risks alienating voters in areas where opposition to EU membership remains strong.

What Burnham does next

Burnham has signaled that any substantive move on EU membership would follow, not precede, the outcome of ongoing UK-EU summit talks aimed at practical economic cooperation. That sequencing gives him room to defer a firm answer on the manifesto question for now. But the issue is unlikely to disappear before Labour finalizes its platform ahead of the next general election.

What it would take to actually rejoin

Even if Labour did commit to a rejoin pledge, the path back into the EU would be long. It would involve a fresh accession process, renewed negotiations over the terms of membership, and almost certainly another public vote, given how the original Brexit referendum was decided. None of that groundwork has begun. That is part of why Burnham’s critics argue raising the question now is premature at best. Even sympathetic voices within Labour have acknowledged that a rejoin campaign would consume years of political capital and diplomatic effort. The government is already juggling economic pressures and a demanding legislative agenda closer to home.

What the EU rejoin debate means — answered

More on UK and EU relations

• The UK’s HC 584 immigration rule changes
• European interior ministers meet on border returns
• UK Companies House identity verification deadline

Where this reporting comes from

• Euronews — British prime minister Burnham declines to rule out rejoining EU. euronews.com
• CNN — Andy Burnham is on a high. When will he fall to earth? cnn.com

Norway’s parliament, the Storting, opens public hearings today into ties between Norwegian officials and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store is among those set to testify. The Norway Epstein parliamentary hearings mark the most visible stage yet of an inquiry that began earlier this year. It followed newly released documents connected to the Epstein case that put Norwegian diplomats and politicians under scrutiny.

The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs is running the inquiry. It is examining both the personal conduct of individual officials and how Norwegian state institutions responded once concerns about Epstein’s conduct became known.

Who testifies at the Norway Epstein parliamentary hearings

Committee adviser Kristian Haugeland confirmed a schedule for three witnesses on September 30. They are Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, former Foreign Minister Borge Brende, who held the post from 2013 to 2017, and former Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide. The committee scheduled a second round of testimony for October 1. Current Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and former Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt will appear that day.

That lineup spans more than a decade of Norwegian diplomacy. Norway’s current and several recent foreign ministers will all face questions from the same committee within a two-day span.

How the inquiry got here

The Storting voted earlier in 2026 to establish the commission. Al Jazeera described the trigger as a “political storm” set off by Epstein-related documents naming Norwegian diplomats and their associates. Norwegian authorities separately opened a probe into a diplomat and the diplomat’s husband over alleged Epstein links, according to earlier reporting on the case.

The hearings beginning this week mark a first. The prime minister and multiple former foreign ministers will answer questions on the record in the same forum, rather than through separate written statements or isolated media interviews.

What the committee is trying to establish

The inquiry goes beyond the conduct of any individual official. It is examining whether Norwegian state institutions acted appropriately once information about Epstein’s activities became available to them. That institutional question, rather than any single allegation against a named person, is what gives the hearings their broader political weight in Norway.

What happens after this week’s testimony

The committee has not announced when it expects to conclude its work or publish findings. Parliamentary inquiries of this kind in Norway typically continue gathering testimony and documentary evidence before issuing a public report. That process can extend well beyond the initial round of hearings. Norwegian media plan to cover each day of testimony closely, given the seniority of the officials involved.

Why this inquiry is being watched beyond Norway

Epstein-related parliamentary and government inquiries have surfaced in multiple countries in recent years. Norway’s hearings add to that pattern with a notably senior set of witnesses. A sitting prime minister testifying before a parliamentary committee on this subject is uncommon. The outcome could influence how other governments handle similar questions about official conduct connected to the Epstein case.

Norway is not alone in facing renewed scrutiny over Epstein-related connections. Legislatures and government bodies in several countries have opened their own reviews in recent years, as previously sealed documents and court records tied to the case have become public. What sets Norway’s inquiry apart is the seniority of those called to testify in a single, compressed window. A sitting prime minister and four current or former foreign ministers are all appearing before the same committee within two days.

How the hearings are expected to unfold

Committee hearings of this type in Norway are typically open to the public and broadcast. That gives Norwegian voters direct access to the testimony, rather than relying solely on official summaries or media reports. Committee members are expected to question each witness on two things: their personal knowledge of any contacts with Epstein or his associates, and decisions made within their ministries at the time. The witnesses span more than a decade of Norwegian foreign policy leadership. Their answers may reveal how much information about Epstein’s conduct was shared, or not shared, across successive governments.

Answers to key questions on the Epstein hearings

Related world coverage

• A US court ruling on White House press access
• European interior ministers meet on border returns

Reporting sources

• Caliber.az — Norway’s prime minister to testify in parliament over Epstein case. caliber.az
• Al Jazeera — Epstein files set off Norwegian political storm: What we know. aljazeera.com