Brexit: Burnham could pledge to rejoin the EU in Labour’s next manifesto, minister says
A government minister has failed to rule out Labor promising to rejoin the EU in its next manifesto and suggested Andy Burnham could try to undo the Brexit vote in the next parliament.
European Affairs Minister Hamish Falconer stressed that the government was “not talking about rejoining today” but added: “What we do in our next manifesto will be a question for Labor.”
Mr Burnham had previously said he was in favor of Britain rejoining the EU but later announced he would not seek to rejoin, arguing that the country would be “stuck in a permanent stalemate if we argue all the time”.
Asked on Monday how the new prime minister would approach Britain’s relations with the EU following the “reset” of relations carried out by Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Falconer told Sky News: “The previous prime minister did really important work to help restart relations and I want to consolidate some of that work. But we also need to see how we can go further.”
“The world has changed quite dramatically since we started the talks. The threats have changed quite dramatically; both talk about some threats in Eastern Europe, but obviously there are also economic security threats and disinformation threats.”
In a recent interview, he was asked whether he agreed with former Labor leader Neil Kinnock’s calls for the UK to rejoin the EU. IndependentMr Falconer said: “Look, the questions for the next manifesto are not yet listed, but I think it is clear from what the prime minister has said and I share his views on that – we had that vote 10 years ago. It was the will of the country. It was the will of my voters. We are not backing down from that.”
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“The world has changed since 2016. We need to ensure that our relationships with Europe change too. Europe and the UK face real challenges.”
Asked whether he could rule out raising the issue of Brexit again, he said: “We’re not talking about rejoining today. What we do in our next manifesto will be a question for Labor too.”
Earlier this month Lord Kinnock said: Independent He said rejoining the EU was “the only patriotic act to do” for Britain.
He argued that anyone who truly loved Britain should rejoin the bloc and at least do so for “the children”.
In a stern message to Mr Burham, Lord Kinnock also urged him not to be as constrained as Sir Keir by Labour’s so-called “red lines” on Europe, which rule out rejoining the customs union and single market or allowing the free movement of labour.
Mike Galsworthy, chairman of pro-EU campaign group European Action, said Mr Falconer’s remarks showed “exactly the right approach”.
“A Labor government seeking a new parliament must surely deliver something in its manifesto – and committing to opening accession negotiations for full membership in the EU is a no-brainer,” he said. Independent.
“Furthermore, if other parties like the Liberal Democrats, Greens, Plaid etc. do the same, you could see the majority of voters at the next general election voting for parties that have promised to open accession negotiations, giving the government a very strong mandate and at the same time giving a clear signal to the EU that this country is serious about returning to the team.
“This is what we, as European Movement UK, are pushing for.”
Meanwhile, Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, which campaigns to reintegrate the UK into the EU, said: “The world has changed rapidly and dramatically over the last decade and, as the minister highlighted, voters have responded – our polls consistently show that the majority of people now support the UK rejoining the EU, especially those prepared to vote Labor at the next election.
“From defense and security to climate change and artificial intelligence, shared challenges can only be addressed in partnership with our closest allies and friends – and with a new prime minister pledging to secure growth in every postcode, the redistributive benefits of a £92bn GDP boost across the country cannot be ignored economically or politically.”
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