Dame Emily Thornberry has insisted the EU was not a "sacred cow" and urged Andy Burnham to rejoin the bloc without a second referendum. The Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, who currently serves as the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, demanded people "get over it" and dubbed the withdrawal in 2020 as a "disaster".
Call for manifesto pledge
It comes after Andy Burnham, who previously said Brexit had "done more harm than good", told Parliament on Monday (October 12) that failing to seek a better arrangement with the EU would be a "major dereliction of duty". The Prime Minister announced an upcoming EU-UK summit in Brussels next month. He said he will hold a "serious dialogue" about the UK's future, adding that "sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain".
Mrs Thornberry has now proposed that Labour should include joining the EU as a commitment in its next General Election manifesto, rather than having a second public vote. She believes that rebuilding ties with the bloc is essential to grow the UK economy and secure its place in the global landscape.
Democratic decision
The senior Labour MP told Sky News: "Why shouldn't we talk about it when the majority of people agree with me that Brexit was a disaster, and we ought to get back into the European Union."
She added: "Well, we need to have a democratic decision, so we ought to be putting it somehow.
"I don't think we need to have another referendum, but what we can do is have it in the manifesto, and then people can have a choice. I would say let's not bother with another referendum. Let's just have it as a General Election (topic)."
Criticism and context
However, Richard Tice criticised the comments on social media. Reform UK's Business, Trade and Energy spokesman Richard Tice said: "If Labour think they can rejoin the EU without a referendum, they have no idea what they are unleashing. No idea at all."
Mrs Thornberry has a long-standing, pro-Remain track record. She publicly criticised then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 for maintaining a neutral stance on Brexit, warning it could harm the party's election chances.
She also argued that Labour would be "off our bloody rockers" not to try and reverse Brexit during the Conservative government's original Brexit negotiations. She claimed to have fought for a "people's vote" to reverse the decision.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham confirmed that re-entry into the UK is a long-term option he is considering. He stated that he cannot "leave Britain out" of discussions regarding its European future.
At the end of last month, the Prime Minister said an in-out referendum "wouldn't be the right thing to do right now". However, he added that it is "possible" that a future Labour general election manifesto could promise a new vote on Britain's future in the bloc.
