Reform UK's Richard Tice has condemned Andy Burnham's hint at reversing Brexit, delivering a scathing nine-word verdict on the Prime Minister's speech at the Labour Party conference.
Mr Tice, the party's deputy leader and MP for Boston and Skegness, said: “Andy Burnham has barely been Prime Minister five minutes. He's already trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door. He says Brexit has done more harm than good but what's done real harm is a Labour government that can't deliver growth, can't control migration and now wants to outsource the job to Brussels. Reform UK will never let this betrayal go unchallenged.”
Burnham's Brexit review announcement
Mr Burnham used his keynote speech in Liverpool to announce what POLITICO described as the most ambitious review of Brexit since Britain left the European Union. The Prime Minister said the current arrangements for Britain's relationship with the bloc were “not enough” and declared that Brexit had “done more harm than good”.
He stopped short of announcing a specific plan to reverse Brexit, however, instead promising to lay out different options for Britain's long-term relationship with European partners. Mr Burnham said he would present those options at a UK-EU summit later this year before attempting to find consensus around one.
Options and next steps
He said: “And there are different options. I will see if we can find consensus around one, which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in.” The Prime Minister did not spell out what those options would be.
However, figures within Labour have argued for Britain to join the EU single market, return to the customs union or rejoin the bloc altogether. Those options would require changes to Labour's existing manifesto commitments, which rule out participation in the single market, customs union and free movement.
Michael Shanks, the energy minister, interpreted Mr Burnham's speech as meaning “there's nothing off the table”. Mr Burnham's team has yet to rule anything in or out, leaving the precise direction of his Brexit policy unclear.
UK-EU summit expected in November
The UK-EU summit is expected to take place in Brussels before the end of the year, with EU ambassador Jukka Salovaara saying he expected it to happen in November. The meeting was originally scheduled for July but was postponed after Mr Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
It is intended to wrap up existing talks on an agriculture trade deal, youth visas and co-operation on carbon emissions. But the summit could now become the launchpad for much wider negotiations over Britain's future relationship with the EU.
Stella Creasy, the MP who chairs the Labour Movement for Europe, urged Mr Burnham to abandon the Brexit red lines drawn up under Mr Starmer. She said: “Everything must be on the table.”
