Photo credit: The Independent
Around 10 years ago, the United Kingdom exited the European Union, a decision that would hit its economy and immigration control harder than it expected. As Britain continues to recover from the hits caused by Brexit, new prime minister Andy Burnham has said that it was time to rethink ties between the UK and the EU.
Hindustan Times reports that in an interview on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain,” the Labour leader said there is a need to be honest with people, especially due to the impact UM’s exit from the EU has caused.
“I don’t think things have worked out as some people said they would,” said Burnham, adding that the 2016 decision is unlikely to be changed or challenged during his term in Parliament.
While adding that he does not seek to re-run the 2016 referendum or move away from the Labour Party’s pledge not to join the EU single market and customs union, Burnham said he would be open to an “honest discussion” on ties between Britain and the regional bloc.
“We need to take some practical steps to make the arrangement work better,” Burnham said, adding that Brexit “has weakened our economy.”
His remarks come ahead of a UK-EU summit set for November 20 in Brussels. The key agendas of the summit are to boost economic growth between the two partners and to tackle illegal immigration into the UK.
Improving ties between the UK and EU has been top of the agenda for Burnham ever since he took office in September.
Furthermore, the UK PM told the Sunday Times that returning to freedom of movement would no longer be a “red line.”
“Freedom of movement had very significant challenges associated with it, and I spoke about them in my previous time in parliament. But, at the same time, it was a type of immigration that perhaps wasn’t as difficult [as now],” Burnham told the paper.
Following Burnham’s interviews, confusion spread as many assumed that the UK PM’s remarks meant a return to freedom of movement and another referendum regarding the UK’s role in the regional bloc.
The confusion also prompted an explanation from Downing Street, which stated that the prime minister was not pitching another vote.
“He is saying that it’s time for us to discuss what kind of long-term relationship with Europe is best for Britain, and he is referring to the types of areas that the agreement and long-term future could cover,” a spokesperson from No. 10 was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
