Kemi Badenoch today accused Andy Burnham of wanting to take Britain back to Brexit ‘paralysis’ as she warned against reopening old rows over EU membership.
The Tory leader challenged the Prime Minister over his ‘extraordinary comments’ in recent days, in which he opened the door to returning to EU free movement rules.
Responding to Mrs Badenoch in the House of Commons, Mr Burnham declined to rule out a future referendum on either EU membership or rejoining the bloc’s single market.
But he insisted Labour‘s ‘red lines’ on Brexit – which include no return to the single market, customs union or free movement – would remain in place until the next general election.
During combative exchanges during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs Badenoch sought to exploit Labour splits over Britain’s long-term relationship with Brussels.
She claimed top Cabinet ministers – such as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy – were all opposed to reopening the debate over EU free movement.
Kemi Badenoch today accused Andy Burnham of wanting to take Britain back to Brexit ‘paralysis’ as she warned against reopening old rows over EU membership
The Tory leader challenged the Prime Minister over his ‘extraordinary comments’ in recent days, in which he opened the door to returning to EU free movement rules
Mr Burnham is to meet EU leaders at a Brussels summit on 20 November when he hopes to sign off new agreements on food and drink, emissions trading, and a youth mobility scheme.
But the PM is also hoping to use the talks to scope out options for the UK’s long-term relationship with the bloc – more than 10 years on from the 2016 Brexit vote.
At the weekend, Mr Burnham sparked alarm about a return to uncontrolled EU immigration by calling for an ‘honest discussion’ about freedom of movement.
Downing Street was forced to later play down remarks by the PM that appeared to suggest he would put a decision on the issue to the public via a fresh referendum.
During PMQs on Wednesday, Mrs Badenoch accused Mr Burnham of having ‘opened his mouth without engaging his brain’ over freedom of movement.
She also lashed out at the PM for creating confusion and asked if he wanted a referendum on rejoining the EU.
But Mr Burnham insisted, in reply to the Tory leader, that ‘there is no confusion at all’.
‘The Government has a collectively agreed position, which I have set out today,’ he added. ‘It is entirely consistent with everything that I’ve said, including in the [Makerfield] by-election.
‘The red lines in our manifesto, including on freedom of movement, will stay in place firmly for the whole of this Parliament.’
Mr Burnham added that he would not defend the Brexit deal negotiated by the previous Tory government, which he said had been ‘bad for growth and bad for control of immigration’.
The PM said he was focused on ‘getting a better deal for Britain’ with the EU.
But Mrs Badenoch accused him of wanting a return to the Brexit wars in Parliament following the 2016 EU referendum.
‘The PM was not here for the 2017 parliament, but many of us were. We do not want to go through that again,’ she said.
‘The country was paralysed. It was miserable, regardless of which side of the debate you were on.
‘And it was because that side of the House would not respect the result, and they are doing it again. Does the PM really think the country wants to reopen that debate?’
Mr Burnham replied: ‘Yes, now she’s speaking the truth. The country was paralysed by the party opposite – low growth, insufficient control on migration, that is what this side of the House is dealing with.’
He added: ‘Where I am focused is getting a better deal for Britain, that is my responsibility, and I will lead from this despatch box over the next few weeks.
‘And I will do everything I can to get a better deal for Britain, a better deal for farmers and food producers, less red tape on our exporters, more support for our steel and our car industry, more control of migration.
‘I will stand here and defend doing that, as well as being true to our manifesto.’
Mr Burnham answered questions in the Commons after chairing a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning, during which he revealed he would soon write to ministers over the UK’s relationship with the EU.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister opened by setting out how he would shortly write to Cabinet on the UK’s relationship with the EU.
‘He said the Brexit deal left by the last government had been bad for the UK and had led to a harder Brexit than had been promised at the referendum.
‘The Prime Minister said the deal had led to low growth and also made it harder to control immigration.
‘He said the upcoming EU summit offered the UK the opportunity to forge a closer relationship with the EU, which was good for the British people and good for British business.
‘He added the status quo is not good enough for our country.’
