Andy Burnham has said he hopes Britain will "rejoins the EU" within his lifetime as he spoke out against Brexit.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said he was being "honest" as he spoke at Labour's annual conference in Liverpool.
Mr Burnham told an event hosted by the Guardian Politics podcast: "Long term, I’m going to be honest, I’m going to say it… I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin.”
He added: “People prosper more when they’re part of unions."
Mr Burnham also reaffirmed his commitments to his work as Mayor when pressed about his future ambitions.
When asked to choose between Mayor of Greater Manchester or Prime Minister, Mr Burnham said: "Mayor of Greater Manchester.
"Honestly, this is the best job in politics...it’s a job I’ve loved every minute of and I’m completely committed to."
Asked to pick between Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) or HS2, he said NPR, and between Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey he said he would be "somewhere in the middle."
Andy Burnham said he wanted to 'rejoin the EU'
|PA
Mr Burnham, the former Health Secretary, also refused to say whether he had spoken to MPs about the prospect of of a leadership bid.
While he admitted there were "plenty of conversations I have with MPs all the time and I don’t think it was quite as the headline suggested" he said: "There’s no ability for me to launch...I’m not going to go and say every conversation I have with every MP.
"I can’t launch a leadership campaign, I’m not in parliament, so that is the bottom line."
Mr Burnham added that now was not the right time for digital ID.
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Andy Burnham spoke at a Labour fringe event at the party conference in Liverpool
|REUTERS
When pressed if he had leadership ambitions, Mr Burnham quickly changed the conversation to talk about how he plans to tackle Reform at next year's local elections in May.
He said: "The only thing I’ve launched is a debate about how do we get a plan together to beat Reform. I am of course talking about the general election but May 2026 is right in front of us now."
He said from talking to people in Greater Manchester and elsewhere, he knew that "there’s a calling for more to take to the doorstep. That’s really what we need to do".
The mayor said the "populist right" are "putting big things on the table" and "we have to do the same thing the other way."
Andy Burnham says he hopes the UK will 'rejoin EU' | PAMr Burnham said: "While the Government’s done good things, I don’t think it’s come together yet as that powerful story of the future of Britain."
However, he also hit back at suggestions he was only out for himself, saying "it sticks in my throat somewhat".
He said: "I did everything that I possibly could (have) to make this conference a success."