UK Labour party leadership rivals caught up in debate over EU ties

Two of the men hoping to oust Keir Starmer as UK prime minister have been caught up in a debate over whether Labour should seek to take Britain back into the EU.

Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, on Saturday set out his desire for a ‘new special relationship’ with the EU, and to eventually rejoin the trade bloc.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was meanwhile probed over his support for returning to the EU as he seeks to stand in a Brexit-voting, Reform UK-facing parliamentary constituency.

Jostling over Labour’s future direction on Europe began as the party debates how to move on from its bruising election defeats last week.

Speaking at the Progress think tank’s conference in central London on Saturday, Streeting described Brexit as a ‘catastrophic mistake’, and broke the ice on a topic which Labour has long avoided revisiting.

The British people see that ‘we must club together’ with near neighbours on the continent ‘to rebuild our economy and trade, and improve our defence against the shared threats from Russian aggression and America First’, he added.

Rounding off his proposal, Streeting said: ‘The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep.

‘We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the EU.’

The policy offer could also be read as a direct challenge to Burnham, who has previously expressed support for rejoining the EU, but may wish to avoid directly speaking about the issue as he bids to become Labour’s candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.

The constituency on the edge of Greater Manchester was a Brexit-voting area in the referendum held nearly 10 years ago on June 23 2016.

Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage was among the most prominent supporters of leaving the EU, won every council ward in the Makerfield constituency in last week’s local elections, securing around half the vote, while Labour won only a little more than a quarter.

Burnham was asked whether he remained in favour of rejoining the EU in an interview with ITV News on Saturday.

He told the broadcaster: ‘I’ve said in the long term there is a case for that, but I’m not advocating that in this by-election.

‘In fact, what I am saying is focus now domestically, Britain has got to focus very much on the here and now and the issues that are affecting people.’

The Conservatives hit out at Streeting’s proposals for closer ties with Europe.

Tory Chair Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘Whilst Labour relitigate Brexit, Britain is not being governed.

‘This is yet another distraction from the day job at a time when families and businesses want the government focused on the cost of living, the economy, public services and Britain’s defence.’

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey meanwhile said Streeting must ‘offer something more than the same failed red lines as Keir Starmer’ if he is to succeed the prime minister, and called for negotiations on a customs union with the EU to be opened.

Starmer has indicated he wants to see much closer ties with Europe, beginning with a youth mobility deal set to be finalised this summer.

He also did not rule out Labour seeking even closer ties in a future election manifesto.

source: PA

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