Labor under Andy Burnham will not push to rejoin the European Union. In a speech in Leeds this afternoon, the Manchester mayor drew a new dividing line between himself and his main leadership rival, former health secretary Wes Streeting, who over the weekend called for the UK to be reunified.
The stance marks something of a departure from Burnham’s previous position. Like me has written this morning, since Streeting opened this fault line in his speech to the Progress conference on Saturday, Burnham has faced increasing questions about where he stands. Over the weekend, he told reporters he would like to see Britain join the EU in the long term, but would not use the general election campaign to make that case. Burnham’s allies have since lashed out at Streeting, accusing him of trying to “derail” the mayor’s leadership bid.
However, in today’s speech, Burnham appears to have reversed his position. He argued that Labor should not try to reopen the arguments of the Brexit years. “My view is that Brexit has been damaging,” he said, “but the last thing we need to do is revisit these arguments. I’m not proposing that the UK should rejoin the EU. I respect the referendum.”
The change makes political sense. The constituency that Burnham is contesting, Makerfield, voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum. If he is chosen as Labour’s candidate on Thursday, his main opponent is likely to be whoever delivers UK Reform. Ahead of the speech, an MP sympathetic to Burnham but wary of reopening the Brexit debate urged him to “move forward, in a smart and authentic way”. “If he does,” they added, “he’ll be all right.”
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Without Streeting’s intervention on Saturday, Burnham might have been able to sidestep the issue altogether. But his rival’s comments ensured he would eventually have to clarify his position on Europe.
However, the move carries risks. At the Labor conference in September, Burnham said: “I hope in my lifetime to see this country rejoin the European Union.” His position now is that the UK should not seek reunification. Critics are likely to portray it as another example of the kind of political repositioning that Keir Starmer was often attacked for.
There is also the question of whether Burnham’s stance on Europe would have significantly damaged his electoral prospects in the first place. One pro-Burnham MP, who has been canvassing for her in Makerfield this weekend, told me: “Brexit is not coming, to be honest.” Instead, they said, voters were more focused on the government’s handling of illegal immigration. By explicitly ruling out EU reunification, Burnham may also have narrowed his room for maneuver if he eventually reaches No.10.
Burnham also used the speech to argue for a major devolution of power from Whitehall to the regions. As mayor of Manchester, he has long been one of the most vocal advocates for deeper devolution. Alongside former West Midlands mayor Andy Street, Burnham pushed hard for greater fiscal powers for metro mayors, with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands becoming the first regions to receive departmental-style budgets from the government in 2023.
Although he avoided addressing the leadership contest head-on – preferring to frame his pitch around what he could offer the people of Makerfield – the speech nevertheless offered a clear sense of Burnham’s wider vision for Britain. “We will succeed only with a serious reorganization of this country,” he said. “That’s what I want to do if I’m back in parliament – maximum devolution of power and resources from national government to local government.”
As Burnham hinted at the weekend, that agenda would include not only deeper devolution to local and combined authorities in England, but also bringing utilities such as water and power back into public ownership. This is the essence of his direction: a new settlement of power in the UK. “I decided to come forward to bring this debate to the fore. Much of what we need to change is in the hands of others,” he said.
Burnham may not yet be as clear as Streeting in officially defining his leadership platform. Before he can be considered a candidate, he must first win the by-election in Makerfield in just over four weeks – and he has yet to be formally selected as Labour’s candidate. However, he is clearly using the campaign to outline a broader vision for the country, concluding: “I hope people will give me the opportunity to make this case.”
(Further reading: Wes Streeting reopens the Brexit box)
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