Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said a “win-win” deal could be struck with the EU that could be “more like the Brexit that people thought they were voting for in 2016”. He also insisted his bid to reopen the debate on the UK’s future relationship with the bloc has helped negotiations for a series of deals ahead of next week’s summit.
Summit Plans and Agreements
Mr Burnham is due to meet EU leaders at a summit in Brussels next week and sign a series of agreements on food and farming, emissions trading and youth mobility. He said Britain will then “explore options” for a different long-term relationship with the club that the country left 10 years ago.
Speaking at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Ireland, Mr Burnham said: “The requests are coming from the European side. We are putting our requests on the table too.”
Remarks on the Deal
“I believe there is a good deal to be done that could be a win-win for Britain and Europe,” he said. “I think it actually could be more like the Brexit that people thought they were voting for in 2016.
“I don’t think people thought they were going to get a Brexit as hard as the one that finally came through at the end of 2019. It was much harder than Theresa May’s deal when she was trying to come up with an arrangement.
“So let’s see where we get to in the next seven days. But I think in the end, what we get could be good for Britain, but also closer to what people voted for at the referendum.”
Youth Mobility and Next Steps
He did not reject that he could offer discounted tuition fees to young Europeans as part of talks, adding: “There’s a lot of issues on the table as part of a deal and I’m certainly one that supports greater youth exchange between the UK and Europe.”
Asked if his move to reopen debate on the UK-EU relationship had helped or hindered negotiations, Mr Burnham said: “I think it has helped, but there’s a long way to go.” He said he would “fight now, over the days to come, to make sure we get this deal over the line”.
The comments come after former Tory prime minister and arch-Remainer David Cameron warned against rejoining the EU in a bombshell intervention.
