Nigel Farage has said Andy Burnham has “opened the door to Reform in the most extraordinary way” after the Prime Minister reignited the Brexit debate. The Reform UK leader claimed Mr Burnham “has made a very big political mistake” by promising to examine options for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union.
Contradictory positions on EU and devolution
Ahead of a speech in Doncaster on Thursday, Mr Farage – a key proponent of Brexit ahead of the 2016 referendum – said the Labour leader’s positions on Brussels and devolution were at odds. “This is the pro-devolution prime minister,” Mr Farage told reporters.
“To even consider rejoining the single market, the customs union, let alone the European Union itself, is the opposite of devolution – a massive transfer of huge powers up to an authority, whereby there’s nothing Parliament could do to change any of it. So I find the whole thing totally contradictory.”
Public opinion and political consequences
When it was put to him that the majority of the public supported rejoining the bloc, the Reform leader suggested they would change their mind once they knew the costs and other implications. He said: “I actually think that Burnham has made a very big political mistake.”
Mr Farage also told Sky News: “Here in Doncaster and across the north of England, I think what he’s done is open the door to Reform in the most extraordinary way.”
Prime Minister’s EU promise
The Prime Minister promised in his first Labour Party conference speech in Liverpool on Tuesday to set out options on the country’s ties to Brussels around the time of a UK-EU summit later this year. He later acknowledged this could include an option to go “all the way” and rejoin the bloc if that is what public opinion favoured. He did not rule out putting a pledge to rejoin in Labour’s next election manifesto.
