Politics Morning Star
Burnham rules out vote to rejoin EU and return to freedom of movement without referendum
ANDY BURNHAM ruled out a vote to rejoin the European Union in this parliament today and said he would not return freedom-of-movement rules without a referendum. The Prime Minister is “not leaning eith
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The Prime Minister is “not leaning either way” on Britain’s future relationship with the bloc, Number 10 added.
Mr Burnham ruled out rejoining within this Parliament, which ends in 2029, in a series of interviews today, signalling he could fight the next general election on a promise to take Britain back into the bloc.
He insisted he will “never move ahead of the British public when it comes to Brexit.”
Asked in a follow-up to his statements on Sunday on whether he would allow a return to freedom of movement without a referendum, he said: “No.
“I was asked about how things have changed in the 10 years since Brexit, and the truth of the matter is we’ve lost immigration control in the way that we once had.”
A No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister “isn’t proposing a return to freedom of movement, or any option,” and that his focus was on next month’s summit.
Mr Burnham also told ITV: “I’m not proposing any changes in this Parliament.
“I’m not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto,” he said, adding that there was “no election coming anytime soon.”
Mr Burnham will meet EU chiefs in Brussels on November 20.
He has indicated wanting to consider longer-term options, potentially including full membership or the single market, which would require free movement, and told the Sunday Times he wanted a “very factual, quite evidence-based debate.”
He said he could not imagine recommending joining Schengen or adopting the euro.