Burnham reveals he 'would like UK to return to EU in his lifetime'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out rejoining the European Union before the next general election - but said he would like to see the UK rejoin in his lifetime. He said today that Brexit had not panned out 'how people said it would at the time' and that it had led to a weakened economy and weaker control of immigration. "I'm not proposing, rejoining in this parliament," he said. "We're way, way, away from, from that at this particular moment in time.

"What I am saying is we need to take some practical steps to make the arrangement work better than the arrangement we've got right now." He ruled out rejoining the European Union before the next general election. Mr Burnham will meet EU chiefs, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on November 20, as he seeks to strike a better deal with the bloc. The Prime Minister also wants a discussion around the long-term future of the UK-EU relationship, 10 years after the country voted in favour of Brexit.

In an interview on Monday, the PM said that after a "decade of experience" since Brexit , it has not played out "how people said it would at the time". He referred to a "weakened economy" and "weakened" control of immigration - as he touched on the subject of the small boats crisis - one he says arose due to the fact the UK "can’t return people". It comes after the PM said a closer economic relationship with the EU could add more than £10bn a year to the UK economy by 2040.

Read more: Everyone sleeping rough to be given route off the streets by Christmas, Burnham vows Read more: Healey to ensure state pension is not taxed for poorest - with triple lock to hike benefit by 3.9% Mr Burnham said: “I don’t think things have worked out as people said they would at the time, particularly when it comes to immigration. “I think we’ve got weaker control now. The reason the small boats crisis has arisen is because we can’t return people, and people know we can’t do that in the same way that we used to be able to do.”

But he added: “I’m not proposing any changes in this Parliament. I’m not going to move away from the red lines that were in the Labour manifesto. “I am respecting what I said to the voters in Makerfield, but I’m not going to say this morning, sitting here, that the deal we’ve got at the moment is good enough for Britain. I don’t think it is good enough for Britain. “I think we can make it better and I’m going to lead a discussion about how do we make it better in a way that people can support.”

It comes after the EU's chief Brexit negotiator has told LBC that freedom of movement would be a “key condition” for Britain to return to the EU single market, warning there can be “no cherrypicking”. Speaking to Andrew Marr ahead of next month’s EU-UK summit in Brussels, Michel Barnier said the bloc remains open to closer defence and foreign policy co-operation with Britain. Mr Burnham was critical of the "revolving door" style of immigration we saw as part of the freedom of movement previously.

He said: "We need to be honest about how it's changed things in the last decade. We have a situation now where longer-term permanent migration has replaced what was freedom of movement." "In the past, it was a revolving door," he added. "People would come and, say, spend two or three years and then go back. This is a change that we've got, and I think we need to be honest about all of these things and not say that we can't even have a discussion about any of these things."

The comments come a day after Angela Rayner said Mr Burnham has called for an “honest discussion” about a return to freedom of movement with the bloc. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “The Prime Minister is clear that you can’t take anything off the table when you’re having a conversation. “But the Prime Minister is not saying we’re going back to where we were in 2016. He’s saying we’ve got to be pragmatic to get the best deal for Britain and he wants to have the conversation.”

Mr Burnham has committed to the red lines set out in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which ruled out a return to freedom of movement, the single market or customs union, meaning any change in relationship would have to wait until after an election.