Burnham calls for 'honest discussion' about free movement between UK and EU

Andy Burnham has called for an "honest discussion" about freedom of movement between the UK and the European Union. The prime minister, who has pledged to review Britain's relationship with the EU, suggested Britain could readopt the European Union 's free movement rules. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Burnham said "revolving door migration where people would come and then go back" had changed since Brexit, with more foreigners now settling in the UK permanently.

Back when Britain was in the EU, immigration often consisted of “younger people, not always, but spending a few years, then going back,” he said. “And obviously the ease of that worked for British people as well.” Read more: 'Andy is getting it done': Trump praises Burnham for ‘opening up North Sea oil’ after talk with PM Read more: 'I campaigned for Brexit, now I know I was wrong' He continued: “Freedom of movement had very significant challenges associated with it and I spoke about them in my previous time in parliament.

But, at the same time, it was a type of immigration that perhaps wasn’t as difficult (as now). "I think we’ve just got to have an honest discussion about those things.” Mr Burnham gave the example of his father Roy , who moved to work Germany in the 1990s. Freedom of movement - the EU rule allowing citizens of member states to move, live and work in any country within the bloc regardless of nationality - was a key battleground in the 2016 Brexit debate.

The policy was regarded as decisive in Britain's decision to exit the bloc. Since 2016, annual net migration has soared from 330,000 people to 900,000 after Britain left the bloc in January 2020. After Brexit, the free movement rules were replaced with a points-based immigration system brought in by then-prime minister Boris Johnson. The liberal rules unleashed the so-called "Boriswave" when net migration levels initially surged before the rules were tightened.

Mr Burnham added that another casualty of Brexit had been a loss of access to data collaboration around migration. He told The Sunday Times: “Consider what we’ve lost, which was the ability to be part of Eurodac and all the data collaboration around migration. You’ve got to see it in the round, rather than just looking at freedom of movement on its own”. Eurodac is the EU's biometric database assisting border control and management of asylum claims.

However he ruled out rejoining the euro-zone, telling the paper: “I can’t see myself ever recommending anything that would involve joining the euro or Schengen." The prime minister has made clear in recent weeks that he intends to create closer ties between Britain and the EU. Mr Burnham previously promised not to break Labour's election manifesto, which promised no return to the EU’s single market, the customs union or freedom of movement.

He has suggested any change in the UK's relationship with the EU would have to wait until after a general election. Mr Burnham has made clear he believes Brexit was a mistake. At Labour conference last month, he told MPs that leaving the EU had done "more harm than good" and "hasn’t given us control”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Mr Burnham of "betraying" the Brexit vote. He said: “This is a total betrayal of Brexit Britain and his Makerfield pitch.

“He is also deluded to say immigration was different when we were members of the EU. We will fight this dishonesty.” Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Andy Burnham knows full well that a return to EU free movement would mean handing back control of our borders and allowing uncontrolled migration from across Europe. “The British people voted to end free movement, and there can be no return to it.”