Downing Street has been forced to clarify Andy Burnham’s stance on whether the UK would return to having freedom of movement with the EU after the prime minister said an “honest discussion” was needed on the issue.
Burnham fuelled speculation about a return to freedom of movement in an interview at the weekend, prompting questions about how close the UK could become to Brussels.
Confusion deepened after further interviews were interpreted as leaving the door open to an eventual return to freedom of movement and another referendum on the issue.
It forced a Downing Street spokesperson to say the prime minister was not proposing a return to freedom of movement, or any particular option.
“He is saying that it’s time for us to discuss what kind of long-term relationship with Europe is best for Britain and he is referring to the types of areas that that agreement and long-term future could cover,” she said.
“He is crucially not leaning either way, and that will be for the British public to decide. And his focus for now is on next month’s summit and the practical arrangements that we hope to make there, which will add billions to the economy.”
She said the government was not yet at the stage of confirming whether the public would decide on proposals for the UK to move closer to the EU.
Asked whether Burnham accepted that returning to freedom of movement would mean Britain lost control over legal migration, the spokesperson said: “He’s not setting out a concrete position either way. What he’s saying is that he wants to have a conversation with the British public about what our long-term future with the European Union looks like.”
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Burnham indicated that staying out of free movement would no longer be a red line in discussions about how the UK can move closer to the EU.
On Monday, Burnham ruled out the possibility of rejoining the EU within this parliament and indicated he could fight the next general election on a promise to take the UK back into the EU. He said: “I’m not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto.”
Hours later, Burnham told journalists “no” when asked if he would allow the UK to join the EU freedom of movement scheme without a referendum.
When asked whether he wanted Britain to rejoin the EU, he said: “I’ve said I’m going to be honest and say, in my lifetime I would like to see that happen, but I am not going to move ahead of the public. I am not going to dictate in terms of my own opinions here, you have to make sure that the British public are the bosses.”
Challenged on how his constituents in Makerfield would feel about his discussions about the EU, given 65% of them voted to leave, Burnham added: “I said we wouldn’t rerun the referendum and that’s not what I’m doing.
“The British public, the people of Makerfield, will be the bosses here. They will decide what happens in relation to Brexit.”
Burnham even ruled out an early general election on a manifesto change on this issue. He told GMB: “There is no election coming anytime soon. People may as well put that out of their mind.” However, he left the door open to a future fight on a promise to fully rejoin the EU.
Burnham will be in Brussels for the UK-EU summit on 20 November, as he seeks to strike a better deal with the bloc. He believes the Brexit deal has “weakened our economy [and] weakened our control of immigration” and is not good enough for the country.
