A cabinet minister has admitted Britain’s current EU settlement is “not working” as Andy Burnham edges closer to rejoining the bloc.
Cabinet Office minister Louise Haigh did not directly address a question asked about whether the party could include a pledge to rejoin the EU in its next manifesto.
She told BBC Radio 4 that “the current settlement [with the EU] is not working for Britain”, and when asked whether such a pledge could be included, said Labour’s red lines “will remain in place for the duration of this parliament”.
She added: “Brexit has harmed our economy, has harmed our security, and has harmed our ability to control our borders.
“And later this year, Hamish Falconer in my team will lead the UK government negotiations [with the EU] to get a food deal and an energy deal that will help drive down prices for consumers here in this country.
“But that's not enough. It's not enough to substantially improve our position.”
It comes after the prime minister admitted in his major conference speech on Tuesday that “Brexit has done more harm than good”.
He told members in Liverpool that the UK has “lost some of the control” over the economy and immigration as a result of Brexit, and said he would set out “options” on UK-EU relations later this year, telling the conference that Britain needed to decide on its “long-term relationship” with the bloc.
The speech came after The Independent first revealed that Mr Burnham was expected to edge Labour closer to rejoining the EU in his address on Tuesday.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told The Independent that Mr Burnham was “trying to sneak us back into Brussels via the back door”.
“He says Brexit has done more harm than good but what's done real harm is a Labour government that can't deliver growth, can't control migration and now wants to outsource the job to Brussels,” he said.
“Reform UK will never let this betrayal go unchallenged.”
Ministers have told The Independent that the prime minister is building the case to put rejoin in the manifesto at the next election. They have said it is now a question of “how it is expressed in the manifesto, rather than if”.
When The Independent asked Mr Burnham about whether Rejoin would be in Labour’s next election manifesto on his recent trip to the UN in New York, he refused to rule it out – having said a year ago when he was Manchester mayor that he believes the UK should rejoin the EU.
Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain, which campaigns for the UK to restore its EU membership, said: “Our best-in-class, seat-level polling resoundingly demonstrates half-measures on Europe won’t deliver a Labour-led government at the next general election, or protect us from the waking nightmare of Prime Minister Nigel Farage.
“We said it needed to be a deafening alarm bell to every slumbering Labour MP and snoozing No10 strategist. Burnham’s speech today proves he’s wide awake - and alive to the dangers. There’s only one option for our future relationship with Europe that will deliver both the economic growth promised for every postcode and the political dividend required to keep Labour in power.
“It’s vital the Labour government seizes this moment, not in 2029 or a year, or six months time. With the public behind him, progressives imploring them, and the economic case etched in stone, we should signal to the EU - today - that the UK is ready to apply for membership, to take us back to where we belong at the heart of Europe.”
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