Andy Burnham’s cabinet changes open door to rethink on Brexit

WAndy Burnham is just 24 hours away from becoming prime minister and the dust is settling on a major cabinet reshuffle. But there is already optimism that this new government may take a bolder approach to Brexit.

It is clear from the new prime minister’s meetings with EU leaders and the appointments he has already made that he has decided on a different approach to Sir Keir Starmer.

The only question is whether it will be much bolder, or simply a tinkering with the tinkering approach taken by its predecessor in the Brexit reset.

First of all, it is notable that Nick Thomas-Symonds, the former European affairs minister who led the Brexit restart negotiations, has given up his services.

Mr Thomas-Symonds was quickly relegated to the backbenches, following in the footsteps of all Sir Keir’s allies who died in the ditch, including Darren Jones, Steve Reed and David Lammy. But his departure also marks a break in negotiations and a chance to do something new and different.

He is being replaced by the up-and-comer Hamish Falconer, son of Tony Blair’s chancellor Lord Charlie Falconer.

Mr Falconer was until recently minister for the Middle East and Africa and has a wealth of experience on the international stage, both in that job and in his previous role as a diplomat.

While there is no strong evidence that he is rejoining, Mr Falconer comes from the Foreign Office with knowledge of the problems caused by Brexit hurdles and experience of negotiating a very different deal.

Meanwhile, the steady approach at the Foreign Office under Yvette Cooper is giving way to the major reform carried out by Ed Miliband.

Mr Miliband could focus more of his energy on climate targets and restoring international aid. But he was also a fierce critic of Brexit.

The new foreign minister is more America-friendly than people think, but there is no doubt that he prioritizes relations with the EU.

The real question will be about the red lines imposed on themselves by Sir Keir and his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney in their election manifesto. This included not rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union.

But we know from an interview Mr Burnham gave in September that he is in favor of Britain rejoining the EU. He said this wasn’t an issue to be discussed during the Makerfield byelection, where voters were strongly pro-Leave and opposed to Reform, but we know what he thinks about the ongoing problems of the UK being outside the EU.

This brings us to what happens next.

Sir Keir was due to hold a summit to seal the rather timid reset agreement. It was postponed because the leadership change was approaching.

It is clear from readings of Mr Burnham’s talks with EU leaders on his first day that a rethink could be looming, starting with his meeting with European Council President António Costa.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister began by underlining the importance of creating a stronger Europe through a closer UK-EU relationship.

“This included working together on common challenges such as defense and security and promoting growth in the UK and Europe.

“They both agreed that their teams will work closely together in preparation for the UK-EU summit later in the year.

“They were looking forward to talking again soon.”

In his appeal to EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the Downing Street article said: “The Prime Minister said the key to delivery in both the UK and Europe was to build a closer and more assertive relationship.

“Leaders agreed their teams should work closely together for the UK-EU Summit later in the year.”

What is striking in both meetings is that there is no reference to a signed agreement. This means that the top can be more than just a piece of paper or a stepping stone to something much bigger.

One of the options is a specially prepared “customs union” instead of joining the “Customs Union”.

Ministry changes and conversations may not mean much yet, but mood music certainly sounds like a much bolder willingness to do so than before.

Mr Burnham is sticking to the Labor manifesto on most areas, particularly on tax and borrowing, so he may not want to cross Starmer’s red lines on the EU just yet. But suddenly the possibility that these red lines could be removed after another election began to look like a much more realistic possibility.