Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out the UK rejoining the European Union during this Parliament, stating he would not "move ahead of the public" but expressing a desire to see Britain return to the bloc within his lifetime.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Burnham said he wanted to work towards securing an improved deal with Brussels, while confirming that a general election would not be triggered "any time soon" despite speculation he might go to the country early.
No changes in this Parliament
Mr Burnham said: "I'm not proposing any changes in this Parliament. I'm not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto. I am respecting what I said to the voters in Makerfield, but I'm not going to say this morning, sitting here, that the deal we've got at the moment is good enough for Britain. I don't think it is good enough for Britain."
He added: "I think we can make it better and I'm going to lead a discussion about how do we make it better in a way that people can support."
Brexit and immigration concerns
Reflecting on Brexit, Mr Burnham remarked: "I don't think things have worked out as people said they would at the time, particularly when it comes to immigration. I think we've got weaker control now. The reason the small boats crisis has arisen is because we can't return people, and people know we can't do that in the same way that we used to be able to do."
The Prime Minister's comments come amid a surge in Labour's polling numbers, which had prompted speculation that he might seek an early election to obtain a personal mandate and put rejoining proposals to voters.
