Nigel Farage has accused Labour figures of a "total betrayal of Brexit Britain" after Angela Rayner hinted she would back rejoining EU freedom of movement. The Reform UK leader's comments follow reports that Andy Burnham is open to returning to the scheme, which allows free movement of people across the EU without migration controls.
Rayner pressed on EU scheme
Speaking on Sky News, Angela Rayner, a close ally of the Prime Minister, appeared to back plans to rejoin the scheme. When repeatedly asked if she would support surrendering Britain's immigration controls to Brussels, she initially attempted to sidestep the question.
Pressed on the matter, Ms Rayner said: "In terms of our future relationship with the EU, of course we should be having a conversation and understanding the facts of what could be possible."
Burnham's changing position
Mr Burnham voted to Remain, campaigned to Remain, and demanded a second referendum when his side lost. Speaking in 2025 at the Labour Party conference, he said he wanted to see the country back in "in my lifetime".
Yet he changed position during the Makerfield by-election, a seat which voted 65% to leave the EU, and chose to run away when challenged on his evolving stance by the Daily Express. At the Labour Party conference this year, he changed position again, saying he would press ahead with his party's desire to "reset" relations with eurocrats.
Farage's response
Veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage fumed that the Labour Party was staging a "total betrayal of Brexit Britain". He added that Mr Burnham was also breaking his "Makerfield pitch", a pledge he made during the by-election where he said he would only work in the interests of his constituents.
Mr Farage told the Daily Express that Mr Burnham was "deluded to say immigration was different when we were members of the EU", pledging to "fight this dishonesty".
The Prime Minister is due to attend the UK-EU summit next month as part of talks, after the meeting was delayed when Labour ousted Sir Keir Starmer. Labour has maintained that it is seeking to improve relationships with the trading bloc, which it says were harmed by bad deals struck by the previous Conservative Government.
