British Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to reopen debate over the U.K.-European Union Brexit agreement as he seeks summit deals that could ease trade frictions and potentially lower consumer costs.
In remarks scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, in London’s financial district, Burnham will argue for a fresh look at the terms agreed under the previous Conservative government. Advance excerpts released by his office say he will tell listeners, “We have lost more than we gained.” Reuters reported the planned speech and summit negotiations.
Burnham is also expected to reaffirm Labour’s current constraints for any deal. The party’s 2024 manifesto rejected a return to the EU customs union or single market and ruled out restoring free movement. He is expected to say a new agreement must keep those limits in place; Reuters reported they bind Labour through the next general election, due in 2029.
At the Nov. 20 Brussels summit, UK and EU negotiators are expected to seek a simpler border process for food and farm goods, alongside arrangements allowing young people to live and work across the border more easily. Reuters reported the proposals could trim consumer costs in the near term and address difficulties that followed Britain’s 2020 exit. The summit had been planned for July before being postponed after former Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned.
Burnham’s willingness to examine the wider relationship marks a shift from Starmer’s approach. The EU question had already reshaped British politics around the 2016 referendum, when voters chose to leave the bloc. Burnham has previously signaled openness to closer ties, including a debate over EU free movement, as EconoTimes reported. The two sides are due to meet in Brussels on Nov. 20.
