'We're Way, Way Away From That': Burnham Rules Out Rejoining EU In 'This Parliament'
Andy Burnham has ruled out rejoining the EU in “this parliament”, saying the UK is “way, way, away from that” right now. The prime minister sparked speculation that he was trying to undo Brexit when he started calling for closer ties to Brussels after getting into No.10. He argued that last decade proves Brexit has not worked out like “people said it would” at the time of the 2016 referendum. Burnham has claimed Britain has been left with a weaker economy and a weaker grip on immigration as a result.
He also suggested bringing back freedom of movement could be on the table during future negotiations with the EU. But speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain , the PM said: “I’m not proposing rejoining in this parliament. “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.” Burnham told MPs earlier this month that overturning Brexit was “an option” ahead of his talks with EU leaders at a summit in November.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never reports that in the same Good Morning Britain interview Burnham said he wants the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime, or that he left the door open to fighting the next general election on a promise to rejoin. Without this, a reader may take the ruling-out as a step back from rejoining. Other outlets reported it as a deferral to the next manifesto.
How we know
- The Independent reported“Andy Burnham has said he wants to see the UK rejoin the European Union in his lifetime”Burnham rules out rejoining the EU within this Parliament (opens in a new tab)
- Evening Standard reported“left the door open to fighting the next vote on a promise to rejoin”Burnham rules out rejoining EU within this Parliament (opens in a new tab)
The idea divided the public, considering Brits voted by a margin of 52% to 48% to leave the bloc back in 2016 after a prolonged and controversial national debate. The PM also told the Leave-voting Makerfield constituents he would not “re-run” the Brexit arguments from a decade ago when he was running to be their MP in June. Speaking to GMB, Burnham insisted he is “respecting” what he told those voters after they supported for him in the Makerfield by-election.
He said: “We’ve got a harder Brexit than was proposed during the campaign, it’s weakened our economy, it’s also weakened our control of immigration and that might surprise people because that was the big issue. “But the small boats crisis has arisen since and we have a new form of migration now.” “We need to take some practical steps to make the arrangement work better,” he added. The prime minister also ruled out an early general election, even after an Ipsos poll gave Labour an eight-point lead earlier this month. ’I don’t think people want another backward looking squabble.
They want me to get on with the job,” he said. Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
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