Burnham says he would like to rejoin the EU but voters must decide
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would like the UK to rejoin the European Union, while stressing that the British public are the final decision-makers on any change to the relationship with the bloc.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would like the United Kingdom to rejoin the European Union, but insisted that the British public, not the government, must have the final say on any change to the country's relationship with the bloc. He said that talking about changing that relationship would not be divisive and could instead "bring people together".
Burnham's comments come as the government sets out its approach to Brexit and the wider relationship with Europe ahead of the budget. Sources cited in the coverage note that the Prime Minister has also said the UK needs to "have an honest discussion" about a more functional relationship with the EU. He has signalled that he would not return the UK to EU freedom of movement without a referendum, a position that has drawn sharp reaction from critics.
Commentators in the right-leaning press have questioned the proposal, arguing that any move towards restoring free movement would undo the outcome of the 2016 referendum, which they describe as the biggest democratic vote in British history. Some have also argued that voters in the so-called Red Wall, the former Labour heartland seats that backed Brexit, would not welcome the idea. Burnham's position therefore places him at the centre of a debate about whether the question of EU membership should be reopened and how any such decision would be put to voters.
The Prime Minister's remarks were made as part of a wider set of announcements linked to the autumn budget. Defence spending featured prominently, with Burnham saying that national security was "at the top of the priority list" and that the budget would set out a path to meet the government's pledge to reach a defence spending target by 2030. The budget is due to be delivered on Wednesday.
Separately, The Times has reported that the tax allowance for low-income pensioners will be raised in the budget so that they do not have to pay income tax on their state pension. Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Healey is expected to confirm that the full state pension will rise by £489 to £13,036, an increase of 3.9%. However, the rise would push about one million low-income people who rely on the state pension above the £12,570 personal allowance threshold, meaning they would be drawn into paying income tax. The change would take effect as the government seeks to balance pension support against the cost of its wider fiscal plans.
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