Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent comments at the Labour Party Conference have led to speculation that another EU referendum could be in Labour’s next manifesto.
Burnham — who campaigned for remaining within the EU in 2016 — stated in his speech in September that “Brexit has done more harm than good” to the British economy.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister has gone further, saying that he would explore what options were available to Britain in upcoming summits with Europe.
A number of options are open to the Prime Minister as he negotiates with Europe, including a potential second in-out referendum in Labour’s next manifesto.
One student, who is a member of the Labour Party, said: “I do think he has interest in rejoining, he could say something like a Labour-led government would open negotiations [on Europe].”
They further commented on the advantages for the Prime Minister’s electoral hopes: “A general election campaign feels like the natural place to discuss something like that. Especially as a defining difference from Reform and likely the Tories.”
A student who is a member of the Green Party believed the Prime Minister was likely to avoid another referendum in favour of cooling the political landscape, saying: “He would be kidding himself if he thought a second referendum wouldn’t further exacerbate the ‘point scoring’ and ‘divisive’ politics he’s trying to end.”
Other options do remain open to Burnham, such as entering a customs union where the UK and EU would trade goods with zero per cent tariffs, and the UK would adopt the common European tariff against all external goods entering the continent.
The Canadian “Associate Membership” model may also tempt the Prime Minister if he wishes to get closer to Europe without reopening old wounds from 2016. While the specifics of the Canadian model aren’t yet known, areas for cooperation such as Defence and Energy have been put forward by Canada.
Whichever way the PM goes, a section of the electorate will be unhappy. However, with polls showing 59 per cent favourability for rejoining the EU, Burnham’s hopes of a general election victory may lie across the channel.
Photo by Rocco Dipoppa on Unsplash.
