Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he believes a “win-win” deal with the European Union can be agreed, adding it could be “more like the Brexit that people thought they were voting for” in 2016. Speaking after meeting European leaders in Dublin on Thursday, Burnham said he hopes a deal could help lower prices and boost the UK economy ahead of a UK-EU summit on November 20.
The prime minister is expected to sign new agreements on food, energy and youth mobility at the summit in Brussels. Ahead of the meeting, the UK and EU have already agreed a draft deal to remove post-Brexit checks on food and agriculture exports, with similar texts for emissions trading and a youth travel and work scheme circulated to member states. The government claims the package will eventually deliver £5.1 billion in annual economic benefits.
Johnson fires back
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has attacked the plan in his newspaper column, branding it an “abomination” and a betrayal of Brexit. Writing in the Daily Mail, Johnson accused Burnham of breaking promises made to voters and called the reset a cynical distraction from what he described as Labour’s inability to fix the economy.
The row comes as Burnham prepares to address Britain’s relationship with Europe at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Monday, November 16. The deal is not done, Burnham said, warning there would be “some long nights ahead in the next seven days” and that negotiations could “go down to the wire.”
Tuition fees remain the sticking point
One significant disagreement concerns university tuition fees for European students. The EU has said the food and drink and emissions-trading deals may not enter into force without an agreement for European students to pay domestic rates, and that issue remains unresolved with five days to go.
The optimism comes as a new poll from Queen’s University Belfast, conducted by LucidTalk between October 23 and 26 with 1,050 people, shows that 52% of voters in Northern Ireland agree the UK ought to rejoin the EU, with 38% opposed and 77% saying there is a clear need for serious dialogue on the country’s long-term relationship with the bloc. Burnham has ruled out rejoining the single market or customs union and restoring freedom of movement, and has said there will be no return without a referendum.
