Andy Burnham does not rule out Brexit reversal being in next Labour manifesto
PM says immediate focus is on rebuilding bridges with EU as he prepares for first meeting with Ursula von der Leyen
Pippa Crerar Political editor
Tue 22 Sep 2026 09.00 BST
The prime minister, who will hold his first meeting with the European Commission president, Ursula
von der Leyen, on Tuesday, did not rule out including reversing Brexit in
Labour’s next manifesto – but suggested the country should focus on securing
closer trading ties first.
Ministers have expressed fears
privately that the EU reset has lost
significant momentum since Burnham became prime minister, and a summit on the issue is likely to be
delayed again unless the bloc agrees to
discuss legislation that could lock British business out of parts of EU
industry.
Burnham has said he will stick to Keir Starmer’s red lines this side of
an election, but he is under pressure from Labour MPs who opposed Brexit to change tack, in part because of the potential
boost to growth, even though his own seat of Makerfield voted to leave.
Asked by reporters on his flight to New York on Monday for the UN general assembly whether he could
rule out a reversal of Brexit being in the next Labour manifesto, he said: “Our
focus at the moment is on a UK/EU summit which we hope will take place later
this year.
“My immediate priority is to build on the good work that Keir did in
rebuilding bridges. Because those bridges were broken in the early part of this
decade. And Keir did a good job in re-establishing that relationship.
“What we have got to do now is go to the next level in terms of reaching practical agreement that will
further boost the British economy. And those issues are the substance of the
summit alongside EU requests around youth mobility.”
The prime minister admitted he had concerns about the bloc’s “made in
Europe” legislation, which is designed to
curb China’s increasing presence but could also affect British industry and
supply chains.
He said he would share those concerns “in a constructive spirit” with
von der Leyen. “The other issues you discuss, they are for another day,” he
said of rejoining the bloc.
Burnham said the UK had considerable support among EU member states for
its position on the “made in Europe” legislation, which threatens to scupper ongoing negotiations about
the reset.
“Europe’s argument is not with us. We both suffer the same effects as
other countries, particularly steel,” he said.
“We are making the argument we are not your enemies here ... we are not
the problem. ‘Made in Europe’ is dealing with a different problem.”
He also said delicate UK/Ireland supply chains could end up being
“collateral damage” of any disagreement with the EU.
“Let’s work towards a trusted partner approach that doesn’t cause a
problem where there wasn’t a problem and where we have common cause,” he said.
In his speech to the UN on Tuesday night,
Burnham will reflect on the 10 years since Brexit and say the UK needs to be
more clear-eyed about the risks to its democratic system.
“I’m reflecting on that last decade,” he told reporters on his plane.
“What we’ve experienced is when that turbulence comes, when outside actors seek
to manipulate, to distort facts, influence the British democratic process.
“Going into the next decade we need to
be clear-eyed about that and become stronger and more on the front foot
about challenging that.
“Perhaps Britain can say we have experienced some of the turbulence
before others in terms of the
politics of recent times. We need to be clearer where outside forces, our
enemies, are trying to manipulate that opinion and feeling to serve their
interests, not ours.”
Task 1. Read the headline
to consider the topic of the article.
Task 2. Read the article,
write out words and phrases in bold.
Look up the meaning. Explain the meaning in English and give Russian
equivalents.
Task 3. Read the article
again and consider logical division.
Task 4. Give a summary of
the article.
Task 5. Render the article.
