Andy Burnham will use a UK-EU summit in Brussels next month to begin a wider discussion about Britain’s long-term relationship with the bloc, saying the current arrangements are “not good enough” for the country.
The Prime Minister told MPs he will meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on November 20, with talks expected to cover trade in food and drink, emissions trading, energy co-operation and a proposed youth experience scheme.
Mr Burnham said the summit could help boost economic growth and improve co-operation on illegal immigration. He told the Commons that the measures under discussion could provide a £10 billion-a-year boost to the UK economy.
“If we are serious about promoting growth, controlling immigration, upholding our values and security, it is a conversation we must have,” he said.
“Sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain. Worse, it would be a major dereliction of duty to turn away.”
He said the Brussels meeting should be followed by a “serious dialogue” on the different long-term options for the relationship with the European Union, while insisting that the public would remain in control of any future decisions.
“At every stage, the British public will be the boss,” Mr Burnham said, adding that public opinion currently supported a “pragmatic approach”.
Brexit red lines remain in place
The Prime Minister said he would not revisit Labour’s existing Brexit commitments before the next general election. Those include not rejoining the EU single market or customs union.
“As much as I want to improve growth in the UK, I also want to maintain trust in politics, and I’m afraid I’m not prepared to revisit the red lines in our manifesto,” he said.
Mr Burnham said the summit would also provide an opportunity to raise concerns about the EU’s “Made in Europe” protectionist scheme, which could create difficulties in negotiations.
He has previously said he intends to set out different options for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. At Labour’s conference last month, he declined to rule out a future manifesto commitment to rejoin the bloc or say whether that would require another referendum.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused the Prime Minister of reopening divisions over Brexit and weakening Britain’s negotiating position.
“This is not how you conduct negotiations,” she told MPs, claiming that Mr Burnham had “already revealed his entire negotiating hand” to Brussels.
She said the Prime Minister had previously argued that the country should not re-run the arguments over Brexit, but was now “un picking the deal this country signed with the EU a decade after the referendum”.
A No 10 source said Mr Burnham believed it was time for “a different conversation” about Britain’s long-term relationship with the EU, arguing that refusing to pursue an agreement that could boost growth would be “a major dereliction of duty”.
Polling released by More in Common indicated that two-thirds of people would expect a referendum before the UK could rejoin the EU. It also found that 45 per cent would regard financial contributions to Brussels as unacceptable, while 40 per cent said access to UK fishing waters would be a dealbreaker.
