Burnham's surrender summit: PM to blow £450m on cut-price tuition fees for EU students and agree 80,000 a year youth 'free movement' scheme - as Labour pushes to undo Brexit
Andy Burnham is prepared to spend £450million of taxpayers' money a year on subsidising EU students at UK universities as he plots to unpick Brexit . The Prime Minister is said to be ready to offer the cash in exchange for Brussels allowing British firms to join its 'made in Europe' programme at an EU-UK summit later this month. The scheme prioritises European firms for public contracts and subsidies and the UK is keen for carmakers and other manufacturers to be included.
Reports at the weekend suggested the number of EU students and young adult workers who could come to Britain under a youth mobility scheme has also crept up towards 80,000 a year. But offering to underwrite the tuition fees of EU students will prove highly controversial at a time when British students are up in arms over their own fees and the cost of student loans. Mr Burnham is already embroiled in a major row over how far Labour wants to go in undoing the result of the 2016 referendum, with splits even appearing within his own Cabinet.
The Prime Minister is said to be ready to offer the cash in exchange for Brussels allowing British firms to join its 'made in Europe' programme at a summit later this month Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves backed the Prime Minister's stance on potentially deepening ties with the EU, days after her successor in No11, John Healey, struck a more Eurosceptic position At the weekend former Chancellor Rachel Reeves backed the Prime Minister's stance on potentially deepening ties with the EU, saying Brexit had made the UK 'poorer, weaker and less secure'.
That came days after her successor in No11, John Healey, struck a more Eurosceptic position. On tuition fees, a source told The Guardian: 'We are willing to give the Europeans what they want on fees, but we will have to get something significant in return. 'The biggest prize we are pushing for right now is access to Made in Europe, so there is a deal to be done there.' Mr Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at the November 20 summit in Brussels.
But he has told ministers that the period beyond that would be to 'explore options' for the long-term relationship. Reports at the weekend suggested the number of EU students and young adult workers who could come to Britain under a youth mobility scheme has also crept up towards 80,000 a year Any options on Britain's future relationship with Brussels will eventually be put to the public, but the Prime Minister last week warned individual ministers it would not be appropriate 'to advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process'.
In a letter to his Cabinet, Mr Burnham said any 'fundamental change' to post-Brexit arrangements would be 'for the public to decide' and left to the next parliament. Ms Reeves, who was sacked as chancellor by Mr Burnham when he took office, said: 'I am proud of the progress we have already made in strengthening our relationship with the European Union. 'Brexit has made us poorer, weaker and less secure. 'There is a debate to be had about our future relationship with Europe, and I welcome Andy Burnham's leadership in facing up to this.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says that the first stage of Burnham's talks, including the November summit, is bound by Labour's 2024 manifesto, which commits to staying out of the single market and customs union and to not reinstating freedom of movement. Without this, a reader takes the headline's 'free movement' scheme as a return of free movement.
How we know
- The Guardian reported“and not reinstating freedom of movement”Rachel Reeves says UK’s future is in EU as she backs Andy Burnham on Brexit (opens in a new tab)
No one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were.' Although Ms Reeves said she believed 'Britain's future lies in the European Union,' she stressed it was 'incumbent on supporters of our re-entry to make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right'.
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