Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would not return the UK to EU freedom of movement rules without a referendum, insisting he will “never move ahead of the British public when it comes to Brexit.”
His comments follow his call at the weekend for an “honest discussion” about a return to freedom of movement, which raised questions about the parameters of his vision for a deepening relationship with Brussels.
Prime Minister's response on Monday
Asked on Monday morning whether he would allow the UK to join the EU freedom of movement scheme without a referendum, Mr Burnham said: “No, I mean I wasn’t saying that yesterday. I was asked about how things have changed in the 10 years since Brexit, and the truth of the matter is we’ve lost immigration control in the way that we once had.”
He pointed to the small boats crisis, saying it had arisen in the last 10 years because the UK lost the returns agreement that once allowed cooperation with other countries to return people.
“And when it comes to immigration more broadly, we’re seeing a situation where people are coming here to settle permanently in a way that we had more revolving door migration in the EU,” he added.
Call for a more functional relationship
Mr Burnham said the UK needed to “have an honest discussion about that and take steps back to get a more functional relationship again” ahead of a summit with the bloc in November.
“I want to use that opportunity to get a practical deal in place to support our farmers, our food manufacturers, but also to increase collaboration on immigration because we lost that and we need to get it back,” he said.
“So I’m talking about practical steps to deal with the things that matter to people, and I will never move ahead of the British public when it comes to Brexit.”
