Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would welcome an "honest discussion" about free movement between the UK and EU, potentially as part of a broader reset of post-Brexit relations with Brussels.
Speaking to the Sunday Times ahead of an EU summit on November 20, Burnham stated that a new relationship with the bloc could include full EU membership or single market membership, both of which require free movement of people. He said the type of migration had changed since the 2016 Brexit referendum, moving away from "revolving door" movement of young people toward different patterns.
"I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this," Burnham told the Sunday Times. He stressed that any changes would require a mandate at a general election, which is due by 2029. He also ruled out joining the euro or Schengen passport-free travel area.
Labour Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told the BBC that the government is being "pragmatic to get the best deal for Britain". She said an honest conversation about trade-offs should precede any changes put to voters at an election.
Burnham's comments contradicted Labour's 2024 election manifesto, which ruled out free movement, single market membership and a customs union. A spokesperson did not directly address this discrepancy in the source material.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Burnham "hasn't thought this through" and criticized him for raising the issue, adding that most people who voted for Brexit did so because they opposed free movement. Reform UK's Robert Jenrick called the idea "mad", claiming mass migration has been "a disaster for working people".
Former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who backed Remain in 2016, argued the current Brexit deal should be made to work rather than revisited. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper pushed back, saying free movement would benefit growth and suggested rejoining the single market and joining the EU's defence pact.