Andy Burnham warned of Brexit betrayal if he lets European Union 'plunder' Britain

Andy Burnham warned of Brexit betrayal if he lets European Union 'plunder' Britain The Prime Minister is 'barely been in the job five minutes and he's already trying to ignore the democratic will of the British people' Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By David Williamson , Chief Political Commentator 07:01, Sun, Oct 11, 2026 Brexiteers have warned they are ready to battle attempts to put the UK back in the EU (Image: Getty) Andy Burnham has been warned overturning Brexit will allow the European Union to “plunder” Britain and would be a direct betrayal of his voters in Makerfield. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of wanting to plunge Britain into a era of “tedious and divisive Brexit debates” as he prepares for a landmark UK-EU summit. There are fears the Labour leader will sign-up to “catastrophic” deals which will cost the country billions of pounds and make it harder to compete against European rivals . A call by France’s finance minister for Britain to rejoin the EU has triggered Brexiteer fury, with former Thatcher aide Lord Redwood warning the “EU sees us as Treasure Island, a place to plunder to help pay their excessive bills”. Pressure will crank higher on europhile MPs on Monday when they debate a petition signed nearly 112,000 times which declares Brexit is “not working” and calls for the country to apply to rejoin the EU. Mr Burnham is preparing to lay out “different options” for Britain’s long-term relationship with Europe and has signalled this could include full membership. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Mrs Badenoch told the Express: “Andy Burnham wants to drag Britain back into the tedious and divisive Brexit debates of 10 years ago, when we should be moving forwards by using our freedoms to make the most of being outside the EU. Every time the Labour government has negotiated with the EU, they’ve given away too much and got too little in return. If Andy Burnham had any sense, instead of focusing on rewinding the clock to the EU debates he’d cut bad, anti-growth taxes like stamp duty and inheritance tax.” Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice fired a warning shot across Labour’s bows, saying: “If Andy Burnham wants a fight over rejoining the EU, Reform will give him one. He’s barely been in the job five minutes and he’s already trying to ignore the democratic will of the British people and drag us back into Brussels. He claims Brexit has done more harm than good, but the real harm being done to this country is by a Labour Government that can’t deliver growth, can’t control migration and now wants to hand more power back to Brussels.” He pledged his party would “never let this betrayal go unchallenged”. Lord Frost was by Boris Johnson's side in key moments in the Brexit dramas (Image: Getty) Britain’s former chief Brexit Negotiator, Lord Frost, also sounded the alarm, claiming the cost of rejoining the EU could come to as much as £20billion. He said Labour’s attempt to “reset” relations with the EU “involves this country paying large sums to Brussels in return for the doubtful privilege of having them make our laws without asking us”. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT French finance minister Roland Lescure’s invitation for the UK to “come back anytime” to the EU is the clearest sign yet that rejoining is back on the agenda. Economist Julian Jessop warned: “The so-called reset is the latest move towards rejoining the EU by stealth… In effect, Brussels is taking back control and sending us the bill.” Former Labour minister Baroness Hoey said that allowing “the EU any control over the UK” would be a “ridiculous move” when “France is in chaos and the entire EU is in a downward slope”. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Andy Burnham has put the UK's future relationship with the EU on the agenda (Image: Getty) Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . John Longworth, chairman of the Independent Business Network, had similar concerns, stating: “It is no wonder the French are keen on our joining the EU; they want our money to help pay for their deficit and for us to take their regulations so we can’t compete.” Fred de Fossard of the Prosperity Institute claimed the EU is attempting to “get hold of billions of pounds of British taxpayers' money” when it faces a “fiscal crisis and long-term economic stagnation”. He said: “They want to undermine British competitiveness by increasing our energy costs, and they want Britain to bail out the EU which is crippled by debt after the pandemic and fund Europe's bloated welfare states.” The UK is expected to agree to a joint emissions trading scheme with the EU in the hope businesses will not will not face greater costs and more red tape. But Silvia Andreoletti of the Adam Smith Institute warned: “Signing up to costly EU schemes, especially when it comes to energy, would be catastrophic for the economy. The UK already has some of the highest energy prices in the developed world... While linking trading systems could reduce costs and bureaucracy for UK companies, it risks committing the country to more energy regulation than its economy can bear.” Jacob Rees-Mogg on the threat Burnham poses to Brexit Former Conservative Leader of the Commons Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg warned that the Prime Minister risked “cheating” the voters of Makerfield who sent him to Parliament in June. An estimated 65% of voters in the constituency backed Brexit in the 2016 referendum. In May, Mr Burnham declared that the “last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments” and warned that “Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we're just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other”. Cautioning the PM against going back into the EU, Sir Jacob said: “This would be disastrous for this nation. But it would also be stunningly undemocratic. It would be built on dishonesty… It certainly can't be done on nine million votes that Labour got at the last election against the 17 million votes in the referendum. And it shouldn't be done at all, because it is a cheat on Andy Burnham's own electors.” A Government spokesperson defended its dealings with the EU and its energy plans, saying: “We are building an ambitious, close relationship with the EU that will strengthen our economy and unlock good growth in every postcode. Linking our emissions trading systems will add up to £3.8billion a year to the economy in the long run and protect critical industries like steel and aluminium from a carbon tax on approximately £7billion in exports.” The Government insisted Mr Burnham will honour commitments in this Parliament not to rejoin the single market or the customs union or return to free movement of people. It claims his plan is to “move beyond division and build a national consensus around a practical relationship with Europe”. John Healey 'plotting £30bn tax sucker punch' in October Budget The 'abandoned' UK seaside town 'betrayed' by Burnham and Boris - 'we'll give locals £500' EU Referendum Brexit News Andy Burnham Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments