Chancellor John Healey has said he does not expect Britain to rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, directly contradicting Prime Minister Andy Burnham's stated ambition for the UK to return to Brussels.
In an interview with Channel 4, Mr Healey was asked whether he agreed with the Prime Minister's comments. He replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”
Diverging Views on EU Membership
His remarks come days after Mr Burnham told Good Morning Britain that he wanted to see the UK back in the EU within his lifetime but would not "move ahead of the public".
Mr Healey also appeared to suggest the economy might not be growing faster if Britain had remained in the EU. Speaking to LBC, he said: “I don’t actually accept that. I mean, it’s been – it’s certain Brexit has certainly hit our level of growth. It’s certainly hit our level of trade.
“But we had a referendum. We’re out of the EU. The challenge for me now is how do we make the best of an economy which this year has proved remarkably resilient. It’s confounded the forecasters.”
Cabinet Guidance and Next Steps
The Chancellor's comments come after the Prime Minister told his Cabinet to avoid publicly backing specific options for the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Mr Burnham is due to set out options for closer ties with Brussels at a joint summit next month. He has not ruled out a pledge to rejoin the bloc in Labour's next manifesto.
However, he has faced a backlash from Brexiteers after he promised not to "re-run" Brexit arguments when he was standing in the by-election in Leave-voting Makerfield.
Any major change would need to come after the next election, as Mr Burnham has pledged to stand by Labour's 2024 "red lines" on not returning to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement.
