Burnham seeks EU immigration data sharing deal at November summit

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in the House of Commons on 12 October that he would seek a practical arrangement on immigration data sharing at the UK-EU summit in Brussels on 20 November. The proposal addresses a gap left by the UK’s loss of access to Eurodac, the EU database that can help establish whether an asylum claimant previously applied elsewhere in the bloc. No agreement has been announced.

Burnham raised the issue while responding to Labour MP Stella Creasy, according to the Guardian’s account of his Commons statement. He accepted that losing Eurodac access was a problem and said the UK was in a weaker position on immigration control than it had been just over a decade earlier. His commitment was to work towards an arrangement at the summit; the report did not describe restored access as settled.

What Burnham said about EU data sharing

Burnham said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had been open to discussing restored immigration data sharing when they met in New York, the Guardian reported. That description of her position comes from Burnham’s account. The available sources include no separate Commission statement confirming what she said or setting out an EU proposal.

His remarks formed part of a wider call to discuss the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Burnham described the current position as inadequate, but said a successful outcome at the November summit was the immediate priority before a more serious dialogue about longer-term options. He also said the public would be ‘the boss’ at every stage of any future decision about a closer relationship.

Why Eurodac matters for UK asylum screening

Current Home Office asylum-screening guidance says the UK no longer participates in Eurodac. It directs officials to establish evidence of a claimant’s time in the EU through other means, including interviews, documents, immigration officer reports, vehicle or vessel tracking information and police reports. The guidance identifies the screening questionnaire as the principal interview for deciding whether an asylum claim may enter the inadmissibility process.

The loss of access followed a policy choice recorded before the end of the Brexit transition. A House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee report said the government did not intend to seek continued Eurodac access after that period, which ended at 23:00 on 31 December 2020. The committee said the government had not explained why it had stopped pursuing access and asked what fallback or new data-sharing arrangements would replace it.

The Guardian also reported that the UK lost access after Brexit to the Schengen Information System, which it described as carrying alerts about criminals and stolen goods, and to a European arrest warrant database carrying alerts about fugitives. Burnham’s specific commitment in the Commons concerned immigration data sharing. The available account does not establish a proposal to restore access to those other systems.

What is planned for the 20 November UK-EU summit

Downing Street says the second UK-EU summit will be held in Brussels on 20 November 2026. Burnham is due to meet European Council president António Costa and von der Leyen. The government says leaders will review progress since their first summit, held in London on 19 May 2025, and agree practical next steps on security, illegal migration and crime.

The government also places reducing red tape and costs for farmers and food businesses on the summit agenda. It presents prospective deals for British farmers and businesses, and support for industry and growth, as priorities. Those are aims for the talks, rather than completed outcomes. The summit announcement establishes a date and broad agenda, but does not specify a Eurodac deal.

For context, Home Office figures show that 85,891 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending June 2026, a fall of 21% from the preceding year. Just over half of claims in that period, 52%, involved illegal entry routes. The figures predate Burnham’s statement and cannot show what effect a future data-sharing arrangement might have on applications or decisions.

The next question is whether the UK and EU agree to discuss a defined exchange of immigration data at the summit, and whether any agreement follows. Burnham has stated his negotiating aim, while Downing Street has confirmed when and where leaders will meet. The reported statement and published summit agenda provide no agreed terms, implementation timetable or outcome for asylum claimants and officials.