Prime Minister restates ambition to take the UK back into the EU in ITV interview, sparking fury from Nigel Farage
Andy Burnham doubled down on his support of the EU. (Image: Daily Express)
Andy Burnham has doubled down on his personal ambition to see the United Kingdom dragged back to Brussels in his lifetime. Dropping his biggest hint yet that it could be in the next Labour manifesto, Mr Burnham nonetheless ruled out a snap election. The Prime Minister is due to attend a summit with Eurocrats next month where he has suggested that nothing is “off the table” in those talks.
Mr Burnham, despite pledging not to re-run the Brexit debate when running for the Makerfield by-election, has repeatedly commented on aligning more closely with the bloc.
Speaking last year, he said he wanted back in, a view he shared this morning in a shocking news interview. He told Good Morning Britain today, “In my lifetime I would like to see that happen,” but added he was “not going to move ahead of the public.”
Stunned program hosts had also asked if he planned to rejoin soon, to which the Prime Minister retorted he was “not proposing any changes in this Parliament” that would see the UK reshackled to Brussels.
Andy Burnham confronted by Express reporter (Image: Daily Express)
During the by-election which saw him returned to Parliament, Mr Burnham repeatedly refused requests to be interviewed by this paper about his position on the EU. When challenged directly he chose to run away.
Later, when standing for the seat which voted 65% in favour of Leave, he pledged not to re-run the debate on Brexit. Mr Burnham voted and campaigned to Remain, and then demanded a second referendum within months of his side losing.
This morning he argued that he was not re-running the referendum as he branded the UKs exit deal “a harder Brexit than was proposed”. Mr Burnham blamed Britain’s lack of control over its borders on leaving, despite himself suggesting he would be open to signing back on to the Freedom of Movement scheme.
Last night the Prime Minister’s overtures on the scheme sparked fury from Brexiteers. Nigel Farage, speaking exclusively to the Daily Express warned “the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Andy Burnham wants to open the door to 450 million people and leave us powerless to stop them coming in. Freedom of movement would undercut working people’s wages with cheap foreign labour – a complete betrayal of what the British people want and voted for.”
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The Reform UK leader demanded that, if Mr Burnham wants “open-door immigration risking millions more arrivals, he should call a general election and ask the public.”
Panic that Labour is planning to drag the country back into the EU has only grown after Mr Burnham repeatedly has hinted at aspects of the bloc he wants to sign onto. Your paper is running its ‘Give Us A Proper Brexit’ campaign aimed at slashing red tape, imposing a protecting fishing zone and leaving the ECHR.
The Daily Express became the first newspaper in the UK to demand the country leave the European Union, and has long stood for British sovereignty over its own lawmaking. Britain’s historic vote to Leave was the largest democratic vote in this nation’s history, and the mandate to exit the EU remains the biggest ever – with 17.4 million voting for the winning side.