Burnham warns EU industry rules would damage UK ahead of von der Leyen talks

September 22, 2026 at 04:24 PM2 min

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned that planned EU rules to help European manufacturers would damage the UK, ahead of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He said he would raise the issue during a UN summit in New York. Burnham also declined to rule out committing to rejoining the EU in Labour's next manifesto.

Key Facts

The EU's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act would give companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies.
The EU's car industry has called for the UK to be included in the scheme to prevent disruption to its supply chains.
Tensions over the proposed scheme have reportedly further delayed this year's planned EU-UK summit, which had already been postponed after Sir Keir Starmer's resignation in July.
Burnham said his immediate priority was to rebuild the relationship with the EU and reach an agreement that would boost the British economy.

EU Industrial Accelerator Act

The proposed EU rules, formally called the Industrial Accelerator Act, aim to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors by giving companies inside the bloc priority for public contracts and subsidies. The scheme is yet to be finalised, but the EU's car industry has called for the UK to be included to prevent disruption to its supply chains. Burnham said the UK has considerable support among EU member states for its position, arguing that Europe's argument is not with Britain. He said the UK is making the argument to avoid collateral damage, as both sides suffer the same effects, particularly in the steel industry.

EU-UK Summit Delay

Tensions over the proposed scheme have reportedly further delayed this year's planned EU-UK summit. The summit had already been postponed in the wake of Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as prime minister in July. Burnham said his immediate priority is to build on the good work that Keir Starmer did in rebuilding bridges with the EU. He added that the UK must now reach practical agreement that will further boost the British economy, and those issues are the substance of the summit alongside EU requests around youth mobility.

Rejoining the EU

Asked if he would rule out making a pledge to rejoin the EU at the next general election, Burnham said questions about rejoining the EU were for another day. He said his immediate priority was to rebuild the relationship with the EU and reach an agreement that would boost the British economy. Speaking at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton on Monday, the EU's new ambassador to the UK was asked whether the UK could rejoin the EU or be granted associate membership.