The headline is slightly misleading, this is about Britain seeking an exemption to a protectionist scheme by the EU

Burnham seeks to gain a UK exemption to the 'Made in Europe' initiative, an EU initiative that seeks to protect and revive the bloc's domestic manufacturing capabilities. The UK wants to be considered European in the 'buy European' rules that from the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act.

France has been one of the leading voices in shooting down previous British attempts to enter into broader European investment arrangements, such as the €150 billion SAFE scheme for defence investment.

At the same time, the EU is also seeking concessions in regards to a Youth Experience Scheme, where EU students would be able to access British universities at the substantially cheaper prices that British citizens do. It is worth noting that that most British universities are not financially sustainable at those prices, and that there were substantially more EU students coming to study in the UK than British students studying in the EU pre-Brexit.

Currently Burnham is committed to the Labour Party manifesto's red-lines originally promised by Starmer, in which the UK would not join the single market, customs union, or allow free movement.