Prime Minister Andy Burnham has instructed his ministers to avoid publicly backing specific options for the UK's future relationship with the EU as the Government weighs how to potentially deepen ties with Brussels.
In a letter to his Cabinet on Wednesday, Mr Burnham sought to clarify his stance on Brexit after raising questions about the prospect of Britain returning to the bloc or adopting its freedom-of-movement rules. He said any "fundamental change" to post-Brexit arrangements would be "for the public to decide" and left to the next Parliament.
Clarifying the Government's Position
The Prime Minister's call at the weekend for an "honest discussion" about a return to freedom of movement prompted questions about the parameters of his vision for a deepening relationship with Brussels. Confusion intensified after he was pressed on Monday in two interviews about the means by which any change to Labour's red lines, which rule out returning to the customs union, single market or free movement, might be put to voters.
Speaking to ITV, he said there would be no shift within this Parliament and signalled that he could fight the next general election on a promise to take the UK back into the bloc. In another interview, he said "no" when asked whether he would allow the UK to reinstate EU freedom of movement without a referendum, forcing Downing Street to later clarify that he was "not leaning either way" on how to move forward.
Letter to Cabinet and Upcoming Summit
Writing to his Cabinet, Mr Burnham said: "I am clear in my conviction that the Brexit deal negotiated by the Conservative government was not good enough for Britain. It has led to a decade of low growth, burdened businesses with more red tape and weakened our ability to control immigration. It is a harder Brexit than was promised at the EU referendum."
The Prime Minister is set to meet EU chiefs for a key summit in Brussels, where he wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme. In his letter, he said he would set out the next steps for considering "the UK's long-term relationship with the EU" at the meeting on November 20.
"Both the UK and the EU have changed considerably in the 10 years since the Brexit vote. Any future relationship depends on practical arrangements that are realistic for both sides, and responsive to this new reality," he said. "I am also clear that any fundamental change to the direction of the relationship would be for the public to decide and a matter for the next Parliament."
Cabinet Discipline and PMQs Response
Mr Burnham told ministers there was an "agreed mandate" for the summit to which Cabinet collective responsibility applies and warned them against publicly advocating for any specific outcome in the period that follows.
"In the period beyond the summit, Government policy will be to explore options for the long-term relationship with the EU for consideration in the next Parliament," he said. "At the end of this process, we will set out to the country the respective merits and drawbacks of the various options. It is important that we remain aligned and disciplined as a Government in our messaging throughout this period. It will not be appropriate for ministers individually to advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process."
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions later on Wednesday, Mr Burnham denied his position had changed since he promised not to "re-run" old Brexit arguments while fighting the by-election that catapulted him into No 10 in the Leave-voting seat of Makerfield earlier this year.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch asked him why the Prime Minister had reopened the debate on the UK-EU relationship in the days leading up to the Budget and accused him of failing to "respect" the result of the 2016 referendum.
"There is no confusion at all," Mr Burnham told MPs. "The Government has a collectively agreed position, which I have set out today. It is entirely consistent with everything that I've said, including in the by-election."
