Burnham leaves door open to EU free movement referendum as No 10 clarifies

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for an honest discussion about the UK's relationship with the EU, including the possibility of restoring freedom of movement. The remarks, made in a Sunday Times interview and in broadcast interviews, have triggered a row over whether he is opening the door to a referendum and whether he is contradicting Labour's manifesto.

In the Sunday Times interview, Burnham said freedom of movement had significant challenges but was perhaps a type of immigration that was not as difficult as the current system. He argued that the UK got a harder Brexit than was proposed in the referendum campaign, that it had weakened the economy and control of immigration, and that closer ties with Europe could add to GDP and make the UK more prosperous. He also recalled his late father, a telephone engineer, working in Germany. The Prime Minister has said he wants to examine options for a new relationship ahead of a UK-EU summit in Brussels next month and to set out a 10-year plan. He has said the UK will not rejoin the EU in this Parliament and has ruled out the euro and the Schengen travel area. But he has also said that in his lifetime he would like to see the UK rejoin the EU, while insisting he would not move ahead of the public.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said nothing should be off the table in talks about the future relationship, though she said Labour's manifesto commitment not to return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement still stands for this Parliament. She said the government should have a conversation and understand the facts, calling it pragmatism and the best deal for Britain. Downing Street later moved to clarify the Prime Minister's position after he appeared to leave open the possibility of a referendum on freedom of movement. Burnham said in one interview that freedom of movement could not be reintroduced without a referendum. His team later said he was not proposing specific options and that no decision had been made on whether a public vote would be needed.

The confusion prompted criticism. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the Prime Minister was all over the place on the question of a referendum. The Conservatives accused him of not thinking through his plans and of looking backwards. Kemi Badenoch said most people who voted for Brexit did so because they did not want free movement. Andrew Griffith said he did not want to return to open borders or reopen the toxicity of the Brexit debate. Reform UK called the idea of more immigration mad and said it would open borders to 450 million people. The Liberal Democrats said closer ties with Europe, including the single market and customs union, would help growth.

The row has exposed tensions inside Labour. The i paper reported that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was furious and that there was cabinet anger at Burnham opening the door to free movement after Brexit. Labour MPs from Red Wall seats were said to be up in arms, with one source saying the issue had gone down like cold sick. Some Labour figures said a debate was needed, with one suggesting a youth mobility scheme as a first step. Others warned that reopening the issue would destabilise business. Ministers stressed that the manifesto red lines remain for this Parliament and that any change would be for after the next election. The Prime Minister is expected to set out options for the UK's long-term relationship with the EU at the summit next month, with the customs union, single market and rejoining the EU all likely to be discussed.