Andy Burnham: We’re ready for closer ties with the EU

Britain’s relationship with the European Union is “not good enough”, Andy Burnham has declared as he set out plans for further integration with Brussels. The prime minister confirmed he would attend a summit with European leaders on November 20, which is expected to lead to agreements on food exports, illegal immigration and youth mobility. Most commented 1 Tiger kills man who ‘jumped’ into pen at Yorkshire Wildlife Park 786 comments He claimed the deals being negotiated would add up to £10bn per year to the UK economy by 2040 and make it easier to tackle the small boats crisis by giving the UK access to EU migration databases for the first time since Brexit. Politics newsletter Get our daily insider’s guide to Westminster, plus a rundown of PMQs every Wednesday. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters But he played down expectations of an agreement that would give UK car manufacturers the same support as their European counterparts under the so-called Made in Europe scheme . Burnham said the summit would be a chance for the UK to raise its “concerns” about the EU’s plans but hinted that an agreement was unlikely this year. Top stories 1 Starbucks ‘explores takeover’ of Chipotle Mexican Grill US business In a statement to MPs, the prime minister said the deal being negotiated would cut “costs and bureaucracy” for food exporters that added up to £1,400 per shipment crossing the Channel. Advertisement He said it would allow the UK to sell burgers, sausages and some types of shellfish in EU markets for the first time since Brexit. Burnham arriving for a meeting with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, in Berlin this month Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Burnham also confirmed he was committed to a substantive youth mobility scheme , saying it mattered greatly to him that young people are able to move across Europe “with ease”. Top stories 1 Trump attacks Europe over Russian oil amid diesel deal row Europe 2 Budget 2026 predictions: when is it and what could change? Economics 3 ‘I went from high-flyer to house husband. Here’s how I beat my shame’ Family Finances 4 Retirement isn’t a cliff edge. It’s a window and you need to plan for that Pensions “I believe this generation now, which has so much potential, so much promise, deserves the same that so many of us took for granted, which is the ability to travel and study in Europe with ease,” he said. “That is why the youth mobility component of the proposed deal matters greatly to me.” However, he did not address the issue of university fees for EU students — a key sticking point in the talks. Advertisement EU students pay much higher “international fees” of up to £38,000 a year to study in the UK than British students, who pay about £10,000. The EU has made reducing the charges a key demand in return for greater UK access to EU markets. President Macron of France with Burnham last month Ludovic MARIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Burnham said he believed the chances of a successful outcome to the summit had been “enhanced” by his comments at Labour’s conference last month that he was open to Britain rejoining the bloc. But he insisted that Labour’s red lines — including not rejoining the single market or customs union — would remain until after the next election. “We need to take a calm, clear-eyed, rational look at the world as it is today to consider what is best for our country,” he said. “Our immediate priority is securing a successful outcome at the summit, and we should then set up a serious dialogue about the different options for our relationship in the long term. Advertisement “At every stage the British public will be the boss. If we go into this further phase, we will proceed with care and complete transparency.” Burnham also used his appearance to row back on suggestions he made on Sunday that the 2016 Brexit referendum was potentially illegitimate because of Russian interference. The prime minister told the Rest is Politics podcast that he had sought an assessment on whether there was interference upon entering Downing Street. “I’ve had the clear answer that yes, there was [interference],” he said, adding that he wanted to put the issue “clearly on the record”. But in the Commons he insisted that he had “always respected the result” of the referendum and had “never questioned its legitimacy”. Advertisement The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Burnham of “unpicking” the original Brexit deal and “blurting out everything he wants” from the EU, warning that is “not how you conduct negotiations”. She said: “His exact words earlier this year were, ‘the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments’. “And yet here he is unpicking the deal this country signed with the EU a decade after the referendum. He is not going to get a better deal.” But Burnham attacked Badenoch for “defending the status quo”. “How can she justify turning her back on a deal to add billions to the UK economy?” he asked.