UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has opened the door to the possibility of Britain rejoining the European Union after the next general election, pledging to put forward different options for a new relationship between Britain and the EU.

Burnham delivered his first speech as prime minister on Tuesday at the ruling Labour Party's annual conference. He said he would try to build consensus on Britain's needs in order to explore a more radical approach to rebuilding UK-EU relations. After the speech, Burnham's spokesperson refused to rule out the possibility of making a commitment to rejoin the EU before the next general election, which must be held no later than August 2029.

Burnham told Labour members that the 2016 Brexit referendum had left Britain weaker and had failed to deliver what the Leave campaign promised, namely allowing Britain to "take back control" over its borders and rule-making.

"Brexit has done more harm than good," Burnham said. "We lost some of the control we originally had over the economy, a decade of low growth has left us weaker, and we also lost some of our control over immigration."

The remarks came at the end of a speech lasting more than an hour, showing how the new prime minister, who has been in office for just over two months, is preparing to tackle some of Britain's most difficult challenges. He also pledged to push for the establishment of a nationwide care service that would be free at the point of use after the next general election, and he set out detailed plans for housing construction, as well as reforms to the energy and water industries.

On the EU issue, Burnham confirmed that a UK-EU summit would be held before the end of the year. The long-awaited summit had been delayed because of the resignation of his predecessor, Keir Starmer. But he added that Britain would not embark on a "clear path" before "we decide what kind of long-term relationship we want with the EU, which remains Britain's largest market."

"I will use the opportunity of this summit to set out to you, and to the country, what I believe are the different options for Britain's long-term relationship with our European partners," he said. "I will see whether we can build consensus around one of those options."

Neither Burnham nor his spokesperson specified which options would be considered, though they could include rejoining the EU single market, the customs union, or both. Another possible model is Canada's relationship with the EU. Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that Canada could become the EU's first "quasi-member state."

Reopening discussions about Brexit could disrupt the UK government's negotiations with the EU on improving existing trade relations. EU officials have said they are unwilling to enter detailed negotiations with Britain if it has not yet formed a clear policy toward Europe.