Andy Burnham has previously demanded Britain rejoin the EU – and is now plotting a return to Parliament in a constituency where 65% voted Leave.
Andy Burnham wants to return to Parliament (Image: Express)
Andy Burnham would drag Britain back into the European Union and previously demanded the country return to the trading block in his lifetime.
The warning comes as the Mayor of Manchester seeks a return to Parliament ahead of a suspected bid to supplant Sir Keir Starmer.
Leading Brexiteers have warned that, despite the leadership hopeful plotting his return to Parliament through a constituency that voted overwhelmingly for Leave, Mr Burnham has been unwavering in his support for a return to Eurocrat rule.
The Greater Manchester Mayor has confirmed he will seek to stand in the Makerfield by-election after MP Josh Simons resigned his seat to clear a path for Mr Burnham to re-enter Parliament ahead of a plot to remove Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
The Daily Express has long called for Britain to be unshackled from Brussels, and has launched a ‘Give Us A Proper Brexit‘ campaign to ensure Parliament respects the democratic wishes of the British people – who voted to leave.
But analysis by Electoral Calculus suggests the seat voted 65% in favour of Leave – raising serious questions about whether Mr Burnham’s pro-EU views align with the voters he hopes to represent.
Mr Burnham told the Guardian last year: “Long term, I’m going to say it, I want to rejoin. I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin the European Union.”
Rivals of Mr Burnham slammed the suggestion, with Richard Tice of Reform UK saying that a vote for the Manchester Mayor in the by-election “will be a vote to rejoin the EU”.
He added: “Keir Starmer has begun dragging Britain back into the grip of Brussels, and Burnham will help seal the deal.
“Labour’s EU reset is a betrayal of Brexit and a betrayal of democracy. Only Reform UK will honour the referendum result and fully deliver the Brexit the British people voted for.”
John Longworth, Chairman of the Independent Business Network of family businesses, told the Express that Mr Burnham had “no mandate” to “drag the UK into the EU”.
He described the proposal as one that would “be a disaster for Britain economically; red tape costs, killing innovation and growth, and costing billions in contributions”.
“He wants to outsource decision making to unelected bureaucrats rather than having Parliamentary democracy. Burnham is a dangerous man not because he is strong but because he is weak,” he added.
Chairman of the ERG group of Brexiteer MPs, Mark Francois, said: “If you read his 2024 book with Steve Rotherham, ‘Look North’ (which I have) it’s clear that Andy Burnham is a committed Europhile. He hasn’t even won a by-election yet but if he thinks surrendering our sovereignty back to Brussels is going to somehow rescue Labour from their present chaos he is sadly mistaken.”
Former MEP and noted Brexiteer David Campbell Bannerman said: “Burnham tries to make out he is ‘Mr Reasonable’ when in fact he is an extremist over rejoining the EU.
The Labour grandee shows “nothing but contempt for the largest democratic vote ever on Brexit” he added, as he urged voters to “return the favour by dismissing him in the forthcoming by-election and later Mayoral election.”
Mr Burnham, the so-called “King of the North”, is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir as Labour leader should a formal leadership contest be triggered.
But his longstanding pro-EU stance could prove deeply controversial in a Brexit-backing constituency, where Reform UK is expected to throw everything at the by-election.
Nigel Farage‘s party stormed the area in last week’s local elections, with Reform securing around 50% of the vote across the Makerfield constituency compared to just 23% for Labour.
Labour have yet to select Mr Burnham as the candidate for the hotly contested seat, but once the writ to call the election is formally moved, the Manchester mayor has confirmed he will throw his hat into the ring.