Tories ‘burned all our bridges’ in Brexit aftermath, PM says ahead of EU summit

The Tories “burned all our bridges” in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and the country has “lost more than we gained” in the decade since the referendum, Andy Burnham has said ahead of a UK-EU summit.

Defending his push for closer ties with Brussels, the Prime Minister said a new deal he hopes to secure next week will “get food prices down” and put more money in the pockets of British exporters.

Mr Burnham is due to meet EU leaders on November 20 and lock in agreements that he says could raise GDP by 0.4% – including on food and farming, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme.

The UK will then “explore options” for a different long-term relationship with the trading bloc, he has said.

Speaking at Welsh Labour conference on Saturday, the Prime Minister said: “We need to be willing to take difficult decisions to get the cost of living down.

“It’s why, in a few days’ time, I will head to the next UK-EU summit and I will be working hard as we move towards it to get to a new deal on food and farming between the UK and the EU. Why am I doing that? Because I want to help Welsh businesses.

“I want to remove some of the red tape that food exporters here face when they are seeking to send their product support abroad, but more than anything I’m trying to get prices down, food prices down, and if we get the right deal, that is what we will do, as well as reduce costs for businesses, and overall get more growth into the UK economy, up to 0.4% on GDP.”

He added: “Why wouldn’t I do that as Prime Minister? Why wouldn’t I lead in that way? We’ve got the Conservatives who are standing out against it, saying no change. Well, I don’t believe Brexit and the deal that they got has been good enough for Britain.

“I think we’ve lost more than we’ve gained over the last 10 years, and, actually, I think the Conservatives gave Britain a harsher and harder Brexit than people thought they were getting when they voted in 2016, because they burned all of our bridges in the aftermath, with the EU, and so I’m going to lead as Prime Minister on this issue, and I’m going to go and try and get the best deal I can for Wales, for those here who could benefit, Welsh farmers, exporters of Welsh shellfish and Welsh lamb.”

The Prime Minister’s remarks in recent weeks have fuelled questions about the prospect of the UK rejoining the EU or adopting its freedom-of-movement rules, but he has insisted voters would ultimately be “the boss” of any changes.

He reiterated his commitment to Labour’s manifesto “red lines” – which rule out returning to the customs union, single market or free movement – on Saturday.

“People working together in unions, trade unions, but also unions of nations, and that’s what makes us who we are,” he told the conference.

“And, yes, working with the European Union, as I said, but at the same time respecting the red lines in our manifesto and respecting the referendum, the referendum result. So, that’s the spirit, everybody, that I will take forward.”

Deputy Conservative leader Alex Burghart said Mr Burnham’s focus on the future of the UK-EU relationship was a tactic to distract from rising welfare costs and questions about defence funding.

“Nearly a decade after the Brexit referendum, Andy Burnham is reopening a debate the country settled long ago, while ignoring the challenges facing Britain today,” he said.

“Instead of tackling the spiralling welfare bill, fixing our economy, and properly funding our defence, Burnham is preparing to hand Brussels more money in an effort to distract from the mess his party has gotten us into.

“British taxpayers deserve to know why money is being committed to projects across Europe when this Government claims it cannot afford to address priorities at home. A Conservative government would work to take this country forwards, not backwards.”