Brexit Costs: Prime Minister admits current terms weaken economy

Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on Monday that the current Brexit arrangement is not good enough for Britain. He told the Good Morning Britain program that the deal has weakened the national economy and failed to deliver on the immigration controls promised during the referendum campaign.

Burnham described the outcome as a harder Brexit than was proposed in 2016. He noted that the small boats crisis has risen since the UK left the single market. The prime minister argued that the UK lost the ability to send people back to Europe, a change that has complicated border control.

The leader of the Labour Party said he backed the home secretary’s recent immigration rules. He supported the plan to require foreign workers to wait 15 years for permanent residency. Burnham said Shabana Mahmood was correct to view settlement as a right to be earned rather than granted automatically.

When asked if he wanted Britain to rejoin the European Union, Burnham said he would like to see it happen in his lifetime. However, he said he would not move ahead of the public opinion. He stated that the British public must remain the bosses in this debate.

The prime minister ruled out major changes to the deal in the current parliament. He said Labour would not move away from the red lines in its manifesto. Instead, he said the government needs to take practical steps to make the existing arrangement work better.

Burnham pointed to his own constituency, Makerfield, where 65 percent of voters chose to leave the EU. He said he would not rerun the referendum. He added that the people of Makerfield would decide what happens in relation to Brexit, but the government would make practical improvements to the current system.

Concerns exist among Labour MPs who represent leave-voting areas in northern England and the Midlands. Some worry that reopening the Brexit debate could create opportunities for Reform UK. Burnham acknowledged the sensitivity but maintained the need for practical steps.

The prime minister hopes a UK-EU summit on November 20 will yield a deal that helps British food manufacturers. He said these businesses have been hit hard by Brexit. He also said he would not call an early general election, telling the public to put that possibility out of their minds.

In a separate remark regarding the upcoming budget, Burnham said it would offer people and businesses breathing space. He claimed the measures would give Britain a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.