Angela Rayner has said nothing should be off the table in talks with the European Union, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's call for an "honest discussion" about a possible return to freedom of movement with the bloc.
The Prime Minister wants to consider various options for a new relationship with Brussels, potentially including a return to full EU membership or joining the single market, which would require free movement. Mr Burnham will meet EU chiefs including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on November 20 as he seeks to strike a better deal with the bloc.
Pragmatic Approach Needed
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: "The Prime Minister is clear that you can't take anything off the table when you're having a conversation. But the Prime Minister is not saying we're going back to where we were in 2016. He's saying we've got to be pragmatic to get the best deal for Britain and he wants to have the conversation."
Mr Burnham has committed to the red lines set out in Labour's 2024 manifesto, which ruled out a return to freedom of movement, the single market or customs union, meaning any change in relationship would have to wait until after an election.
Evidence-Based Debate
Ms Rayner told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "I want to see the best deal for the people of my constituency and for Britain. We haven't got the best deal at the moment because we've seen exports reduced by 20%, we've seen the red tape and the friction that has meant that a lot of our businesses are not able to trade in the way that they would like with our biggest trading partners. So, I would like us to have an honest conversation about what the trade-offs could be and then put that to the people at a general election."
Mr Burnham told the Sunday Times he wanted to have a "very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this". The issue of migration was one of the dominant factors during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign.
Political Reactions
Mr Burnham acknowledged freedom of movement "had very significant challenges associated with it", but said it was a type of immigration that "perhaps wasn't as difficult (as now)". He said he could not imagine recommending joining the Schengen borderless area or ditching the pound to adopt the euro.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: "This is yet another example of Burnham's foot-in-mouth syndrome. He hasn't thought this through or the implications. Most people who voted for Brexit did so because they didn't want free movement. Too many politicians have failed to understand the significance and impact of immigration on communities."
Reform UK also hit out at Mr Burnham, with Nigel Farage saying the Prime Minister's comments were "a total betrayal of Brexit Britain and Burnham's Makerfield pitch". Reform's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick told the BBC: "I think it's completely mad, the idea that this country needs more immigration."
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "Freedom of movement, as well as freedom of capital and trade and ripping up red tape that has absolutely strangled British businesses, would be a really good thing for growth."
Any fundamental change in the UK's relationship with the EU would have to wait until after a general election due to the constraints imposed by Sir Keir Starmer's 2024 manifesto. Mr Burnham has previously insisted that he will not call an early election, with the next contest due in 2029.
Poll Shows Labour Lead
An Ipsos poll released on Sunday morning gave Labour an eight-point lead over the Conservatives, something which is likely to increase speculation that Mr Burnham could seek his own mandate from the country. The poll put Labour on 32%, up five points on last month, the Conservatives up three points on 24% and Reform UK down three points on 20%.
The Liberal Democrats were on 9%, the Green Party on 8% and others on 6%. Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,109 British adults online between October 15 and 22.
