Burnham orders ministers to shut up on Brexit options before review
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham told cabinet members to stop freelancing on Brexit and hold the line until a government review and a European summit take place.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday told cabinet colleagues to keep their personal opinions to themselves on the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union. In a letter to frontbenchers, he blasted the current Conservative-negotiated deal as “bad for the UK” and claimed it had delivered a harder Brexit than was promised in the 2016 referendum.
Burnham emphasized strict discipline in government communications, stating, "> It is important that we remain aligned and disciplined as a government in our messaging throughout this period. It will not be appropriate for ministers individually to advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process."
The prime minister’s remarks came before a European summit scheduled for next month, which he said would start the first phase of Labour’s Brexit reform plan, consistent with the party’s 2024 manifesto – staying outside the EU customs union and single market and not restoring free movement. More sweeping changes, he noted, would be put off until after the next general election and decided by the public and a future parliament.
During prime-minister’s questions, Burnham repeated his attack on the existing deal, saying the UK had been “paralysed” by the opposition party after the referendum. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and other ministers have reportedly raised concerns about possible revisions that might bring back free movement, something Burnham has pointed to as a possible topic of discussion.
Burnham concluded that any fundamental change in the UK-EU relationship must acknowledge the changed realities of both sides over the past decade and be based on practical, mutually realistic arrangements.