Andy Burnham Says Brexit Has Not Worked and Outlines EU Deal Tests
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that “the Brexit we were given has not worked” and asserted that the UK was left with a needlessly hard exit from the European Union.
Speaking ahead of a UK-EU summit, Burnham outlined plans to reset relations with Europe while telling the Lord Mayor’s Banquet that the original agreement created economic barriers and damaged national potential, news.sky.com reported. He argued that the country has lost more than it gained over the past decade.
“It’s like the emperor’s new clothes – where no one is prepared to say the obvious truth,” Burnham said, according to news.sky.com. “Well, I say it as I see it. And to be frank, the emperor has nothing on.”
Ahead of the summit, the UK and the European Union agreed on a draft framework to remove post-Brexit checks from food and agriculture exports, the BBC reported. Similar texts covering emissions trading and a youth travel scheme have also been circulated among member states.
The government claims these proposed arrangements will eventually yield £5.1bn in annual economic benefits. Burnham maintained that a constructive approach could lower prices for consumers and reduce costs for businesses.
“I believe there is a good deal to be done that could be a win-win for Britain and Europe,” Burnham said on Thursday. “I think it actually could be more like the Brexit that people thought they were voting for in 2016.”
To govern any future pact, the prime minister established three core tests: the agreement must align with government manifesto red lines, improve upon the original exit terms, and deliver tangible improvements to everyday life.
Conservative MP Priti Patel said that Burnham’s approach risks dragging Britain backward and imposing higher costs on taxpayers. At Labour’s conference in September, Andy Burnham suggested Britain might “go all the way” and rejoin the European Union. As he remarked to The Economist: “Who knows how it plays out in the endgame here?”
Burnham replied “I think it has helped” before adding: “We’ve got a big week ahead of us to try and get this deal over the line.” At the conference, he also told attendees: “People working together in unions, trade unions, but also unions of nations, and that’s what makes us who we are,” and added: “And, yes, working with the European Union, as I said, but at the same time respecting the red lines in our manifesto and respecting the referendum, the referendum result.”
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council leader António Costa are scheduled to meet Burnham in Brussels on November 20 for talks on food, carbon emissions, and youth exchanges, The Guardian reported.