Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been warned he risks betraying the voters of Makerfield if he U-turns on his promise to respect the result of the Brexit referendum and pushes for Britain to rejoin the European Union. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former leader of the Commons, warned that rejoining would be “disastrous for this nation”, “built on dishonesty” and a “cheat on Andy Burnham's own electors”.
Makerfield's strong Leave vote
An estimated 65% of voters in Makerfield backed the UK leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum. Tory Brexiteer Sir Jacob told the Express that “accession” to the EU would mean “another great wave of immigration, this time legal, unstoppable, unbannable” – plus the “destruction of the independence of the UK economy”.
In May, before Sir Keir Starmer was forced from office, Mr Burnham declared that the “last thing we should do right now is re-run those arguments” and warned that “Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we're just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other”.
Shift in position
But last week, the Labour leader announced in his conference speech that he would lay out “different options” for the UK’s long-term future with Europe. In an interview, he said options included a customs union, membership of the single market or going “all the way”.
Labour’s 2024 election manifesto pledged that the party would seek to “make Brexit work” and promised there would be “no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement”.
Prior to winning Makerfield and then becoming Labour leader and Prime Minister, Mr Burnham said: “I'm not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU. I respect the decision that was made with the referendum.” Yet in his conference speech, the PM said: “Brexit has done more harm than good”. A UK-EU summit is expected next month, and Mr Burnham has said he will “see if we can bring the UK closer to Europe”.
Rees-Mogg's warning
Sir Jacob described election commitments to voters as the “foundation stone of what you do politically”, adding: “Andy Burnham has broken faith. He has moved away from that foundation stone because of his love for the European Union.”
He said: “This would be disastrous for this nation. But it would also be stunningly undemocratic. It would be built on dishonesty… Politics ought not to operate on that basis. It certainly can't be done on nine million votes that Labour got at the last election against the 17million votes in the referendum. And it shouldn't be done at all, because it is a cheat on Andy Burnham's own electors.”
A government spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister's plan is to move beyond division and build a national consensus around a practical relationship with Europe that strengthens security, supports business, and delivers growth in every part of the UK."
