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Cabinet ministers back Burnham’s call for EU free movement debate
Senior cabinet ministers have backed Andy Burnham’s call for an honest debate on a possible return to free movement with the European Union, a stance that risks friction with some Labour MPs in Brexit-voting seats.
By Charlotte Redford · 3 min read
Senior cabinet ministers have backed Andy Burnham’s call for a debate on whether Britain should return to free movement with the European Union, although the position has drawn concern from some Labour MPs representing “red wall” seats that voted for Brexit. The Guardian reports that the prime minister’s plea has been supported by Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband, as well as by business leaders, while some MPs from those constituencies have warned that the move could jeopardise seats Labour gained from the Conservatives at the last election.
The prime minister made his case in an interview with the Sunday Times, calling for an “honest discussion” about freedom of movement. He made clear that ruling out a return to free movement would no longer be a red line in any future talks with the EU. That shift is significant because free movement, which ended when Britain left the bloc, was one of the principal grievances that shaped the 2016 referendum result in many former industrial areas, and it has remained a potent issue in public debate since.
The concerns voiced by red wall MPs reflect the sensitivity of immigration and free movement for voters who backed Leave. Their unease is that reopening the question, even as a matter for discussion rather than policy, could reopen wounds in communities where the issue cut deepest and where Labour’s majorities are most exposed to a challenge from Reform UK and other parties competing for the same voters. Supporters of the proposal argue that a candid conversation is preferable to leaving the question unaddressed.
Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, has gone further, saying that voters should ultimately be asked to decide. Reporting by the Telegraph quotes her stating that the public should be given a say on freedom of movement, a position that would move the issue from internal policy debate into a democratic verdict. Her remarks suggest that the leadership is prepared to test the question with the electorate rather than settle it in Whitehall.
Business leaders have welcomed the prospect of a wider debate, and their backing adds weight to the argument that labour mobility and closer ties with the EU matter to sectors ranging from manufacturing to hospitality, which have long reported difficulties recruiting staff since the end of free movement. The government has been seeking to deepen cooperation with Brussels in areas such as trade and security, and the discussion now under way links directly to that agenda.
The episode shows the issue firmly back on the political agenda, with cabinet support for Burnham’s position signalling a readiness to revisit a principle Britain abandoned in leaving the EU. How the debate is framed, and whether it leads to a referendum as Rayner has suggested, will be closely watched by MPs in the seats most affected.
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