PM Assessment: Burnham Rates Brexit Deal Insufficient

Andy Burnham stated on Monday that the current Brexit arrangement is not good enough for Britain. The prime minister argued that the deal has failed to deliver the results promised during the referendum campaign.

Burnham told Good Morning Britain that Britain received a harder exit than originally proposed. He said this shift weakened the national economy and complicated immigration management.

The small boat crisis has increased since the vote, Burnham noted. He explained that the UK can no longer easily return people to Europe, a restriction that did not exist when the country was an EU member.

When asked if he wanted to rejoin the EU, Burnham said he would like to see it happen in his lifetime. However, he stated he would not move ahead of public opinion on the matter.

“I am not going to say at the moment that the deal we’ve got is good enough for Britain. I don’t think it is good enough,” he said. He clarified that he was not proposing a return to the EU during the current parliamentary term.

Burnham said Labour would stick to its manifesto red lines. He described his approach as taking practical steps to make the existing arrangement work better rather than reversing the vote entirely.

The prime minister addressed the 65% Leave vote in his Makerfield constituency. He said he was not rerunning the referendum but wanted the public to have the final say on future changes.

He backed the home secretary’s plan to require foreign workers to wait 15 years for permanent residency. Burnham said Shabana Mahmood was right to treat settlement as a right to be earned, not one granted automatically.

The prime minister ruled out an early general election despite favorable polling. He said people should put that idea out of their mind for now.

Burnham hoped for a positive outcome at the UK-EU summit on November 20. He noted that British food manufacturers have been hit hard by the current trade terms.

He also commented on the upcoming budget, describing it as providing breathing space for people and businesses. He called it a small light at the end of the tunnel.