An AFP report said Prime Minister Andy Burnham appeared open to restoring EU free movement after calling, in a Sunday Times interview, for debate on post-Brexit migration as Britain weighs closer ties with the bloc.
Burnham told the Sunday Times that immigration patterns in the UK had shifted after the country's departure from the EU in early 2020. He described it as “different” and called for an “honest discussion” about the change. He also said migration involving people who arrived and later returned had differed from the current balance.
Immigration helped drive support for Brexit in 2016, when a narrow majority chose to leave the EU, AFP reported. Burnham’s remarks have revived a politically sensitive question as his government considers its relationship with the bloc.
Labour’s 2024 manifesto rules out restoring EU free movement and British membership in either the single market or the customs union. Burnham has committed to that platform, AFP reported. He has also floated the possibility that Britain could apply to rejoin the EU in the future, while saying he could not see himself recommending that the UK join the euro or the Schengen borderless area.
AFP reported that Burnham may need to seek voters’ backing for any major change. The next general election is not expected until 2029. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Burnham’s comments a “total betrayal of Brexit Britain,” AFP reported.
Burnham and EU leaders are hopeful of striking agreements on food and drink, youth mobility and emissions trading when they meet in Brussels on Nov. 20, according to AFP. Burnham has said he will set out options for closer relations around the summit. EconoTimes previously covered Burnham’s proposed trade deals and plans for a broader discussion of UK-EU ties.
