Share this 'I know the Prime Minister doesn't want to look behind him. But nobody raised their hand,' the Tory leader said Kemi Badenoch dared Labour MPs to back Andy Burnham after he opened the door to EU migration by refusing to rule out a return to free movement with the continent. The Conservative leader demanded a show of hands from backbenchers in the heated PMQs exchange. Ahead of an EU summit next month, the Prime Minister called for an “honest, evidence-based discussion” on free movement, which gives citizens the right to live, work and study in other European countries without needing a visa.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article does not report that Downing Street officials said Burnham's suggestion of a free movement referendum was not government policy. Without it, a reader may take free movement to be a live government plan.
“Who doesn't want a debate about freedom of movement? The Home Secretary, she's been very clear on that. The business secretary doesn't either,” Mrs Badenoch began. “The culture secretary and I don't agree on much, but even she doesn't want the Prime Minister to restart this debate. “What about the backbenchers? Let's have a show of hands. Who wants free movement?” The Conservative benches erupted into jeering and laughter as the Conservative leader issued her challenge.
Meanwhile, Labour MPs stayed in stony silence, refusing to budge. “He wants free movement. I know the Prime Minister doesn't want to look behind him. But nobody raised their hand,” Mrs Badenoch grinned. She continued: “There was someone else who didn't want to reopen free movement. An ambitious candidate fighting a by-election earlier this year, he said, and I quote: ‘The last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments.’ “So does the Prime Minister still agree with himself?”
“I'm trying to get a better deal for Britain at the EU summit that we're about to do,” Mr Burnham responded. WATCH ABOVE Follow related topics:
GB News reports Kemi Badenoch's PMQs challenge to Labour MPs over free movement almost entirely through her words and the Tory benches' reaction. In its own voice it calls Andy Burnham's position a "Brexit U-turn" and says he "opened the door to EU migration", when its own body says he called for a discussion. It gives Burnham a single line of reply and leaves out his rebuke of Badenoch and Downing Street's statement that a referendum was not government policy.
Uses a loaded word
Minor
“Andy Burnham's Brexit U-turn”
Why this matters
The headline calls Burnham's position a "Brexit U-turn" in the outlet's own voice, without attributing the description to Badenoch.
The impression it gives
A reader takes it that the Prime Minister has reversed Brexit policy and adopted free movement.
The context
The body says only that he called for a discussion on free movement ahead of an EU summit. Other coverage reports that Downing Street said a referendum on it was not government policy.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“the Prime Minister called for an”
““I'm trying to get a better deal for Britain at the EU summit that we're about to do,” Mr Burnham responded.”
Why this matters
The article gives Burnham one sentence of reply after many sentences of Badenoch's attack and the Tory benches' jeering.
The impression it gives
A reader comes away thinking Burnham had little to say back and was left on the defensive.
The context
Other reports of the same exchange say Burnham told Badenoch to have a little humility over the Conservatives' Brexit deal and insisted there was no confusion over his position.
The article does not report that Downing Street officials said Burnham's suggestion of a free movement referendum was not government policy. Without it, a reader may take free movement to be a live government plan.