Barnier also said EU countries would not agree to bring back the British financial rebate, first negotiated in 1985, which meant the UK would pay less into the EU's annual budget while it was a member. Burnham has said that he could promise Labour a much stronger relationship with Europe in the future, even going so far as to ask to rejoin the organization as a full member. However, he has said that big changes won't happen before the next election.
His leaders have made several deals with the EU about how the UK and EU will work together after Brexit.
Next week, the two sides will meet in Brussels. They hope to reach agreements on food standards, youth visas, and reconnecting British industry with the EU's carbon trading system. The free movement of people, which lets EU citizens live and work in other parts of the bloc without a visa, was one of the most important issues in the 2016 Brexit vote.
Sir Keir Starmer, Burnham's direct predecessor, said that it would not be brought back for the UK in Labour's 2024 election platform. Any move to support it again would be a major point of disagreement with the Conservatives and Reform UK in a future election.
In a recent interview, Burnham said that he would not allow people to move freely again without a referendum. This caused Downing Street to clarify that he was not supporting its return at this time.
He has said in the past that he wanted to present "different options" for the relationship with Europe at the summit in Brussels later this month. After that, he would try to get the British people to agree on a new relationship.
