Andy Burnham Seeks Honest EU Debate on Free Movement
Andy Burnham said he would welcome an evidence-based discussion about restoring free movement between the UK and the European Union. He outlined options…
As the UK weighs how to reset relations with the European Union, Andy Burnham seeks honest discussion of free movement. The mayor of Greater Manchester told the Sunday Times he would welcome an evidence-based debate on the possibility of restoring movement between the UK and the bloc.
The discussion could include full EU membership or joining the single market, both of which Burnham said would involve free movement. Any fundamental change, he said, would require a mandate at a general election due by 2029. The issue is expected to feature when he meets EU chiefs at a summit in Brussels on 20 November.
Burnham said the migration associated with EU membership in earlier years differed from the challenges now being discussed. He described it as generally involving younger people who spent a few years in the UK before returning, while noting that this was not always the case.
“I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this,” Burnham told the newspaper.
Free movement and the limits Burnham outlined
Burnham said he could not see himself recommending arrangements that would involve joining the euro or Schengen. His comments leave open a discussion of closer economic ties with the EU, but set out limits on what he would support.
The debate also touches on migration data cooperation. The Independent reported that Burnham pointed to the UK’s loss of access to Eurodac and related collaboration. “Consider what we've lost, which was the ability to be part of Eurodac and all the data collaboration around migration,” he told The Sunday Times.
His remarks sit alongside Labour’s 2024 election manifesto, which ruled out returning to free movement, joining the single market or forming a customs union. The BBC noted that reopening sensitive debates has featured in Burnham’s first months in power, despite his earlier commitment to those manifesto positions.
The practical stakes are political as well as administrative: a move toward free movement would change the UK’s relationship with the EU and reopen a question the manifesto had ruled out. Burnham’s call for a factual debate does not itself set out a policy change; he said voters would need to authorize any fundamental shift at a general election.
Chris Philp rejected the prospect of a return. He said there could be “no return” to free movement after the 2016 EU referendum, arguing it would mean “handing back control of our borders and allowing uncontrolled migration from across Europe.”
Nigel Farage called Burnham’s comments a “total betrayal” of Brexit Britain and his Makerfield pitch. “We will fight this dishonesty,” Farage said.
Burnham is due to meet EU chiefs in Brussels on 20 November, where he is expected to pitch options for resetting relations with the bloc.
Source: newscord.org
