Labour has become embroiled in a major Remembrance Sunday row over Brexit after the commemoration of Britain’s war dead was linked to Andy Burnham’s plans for a reset with the European Union.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was accused of exploiting the commemorations after her department compared the Erasmus+ student exchange programme with “the strong links with Europe that veterans’ service helped to secure” following the Second World War.
The comments came ahead of solemn ceremonies at the Cenotaph in London and at locations across Britain and the Commonwealth, prompting accusations that Ms Nandy was using the occasion to promote an anti-Brexit message.
Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: “Remembrance Sunday is a day for the nation to stand together in silence and honour those who gave everything for our country. It is not a day for a Labour minister to make a pitch for EU membership.”
However, during a series of media interviews, Ms Nandy made the striking accusation that her critics were the ones politicising a day that should remain above party politics.
“I strongly, strongly disagree and it’s Remembrance Sunday,” she told Sky News.
“It’s not a time for politicking. I’m actually quite horrified that the chairman of the Conservative Party has chosen to do that. He, they, are the only party talking about Brexit and the European Union today.”
Lisa Nandy faced accusations of exploiting the commemorations after her department linked the Erasmus+ exchange programme to “the strong links with Europe that veterans’ service helped to secure”.
The comments were made before solemn events at the Cenotaph in London and across Britain and the Commonwealth, prompting claims that the commemorations were being used for anti-Brexit propaganda.
Ms Nandy also referred to “80 years of peace” in her statement, a phrase Mr Hollinrake criticised for failing to acknowledge more recent conflicts in which British forces suffered casualties.
He said: “Lisa Nandy appears to be suggesting that nobody in our country has had to fight a war since 1945.
“She should say that to veterans of Korea, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the families of the hundreds who never returned home. Our veterans did not fight for a student exchange programme.
“Using their sacrifice to justify a £570 million cheque to Brussels is tone deaf and frankly shameful. Lisa Nandy should apologise.”
In a story released late last night for publication today, Ms Nandy said the Erasmus+ exchange programme, which the UK has rejoined under Labour, would “give a new generation the chance to build connections across Europe”.
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Her department added: “As the nation pauses today to remember those who served and sacrificed, [the programme] will help young people from every background and region build the strong links with Europe that veterans’ service helped to secure and preserve after the Second World War.”
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood told GB News that Ms Nandy had shown “breathtaking chutzpah” by accusing others of politicising the day.
“Remembrance Sunday should be a solemn occasion to remember the sacrifices made by so many. For the government to use it to pursue an ideological drive to return to the Erasmus scheme, as part of its efforts to move closer to the European Union, is deeply distasteful. I believe Lisa needs to reflect and apologise,” he said.
Separately, Mr Burnham is facing opposition within the Cabinet over his proposal to negotiate a two-way youth mobility agreement with the EU, amid concerns among some ministers that it could put pressure on the British jobs market.
With a summit scheduled for November 20, UK and EU negotiators are continuing to work out the details of a scheme that would allow people under 30 to live, work, study and travel for a limited period on both sides of the Channel.
Senior ministers are understood to have warned that the proposals could prove electorally damaging while the government is struggling to reduce youth unemployment and move young people away from welfare.
Mr Burnham said last week that he wanted “radical change” to address the “million or more young people in their 20s on benefits”, adding: “It’s not good for them. It’s not good for anybody.”
However, one minister told the MoS: “This is not joined-up government. On one hand, we are promising to help a million young people leave welfare and enter work. At the same time, we are considering allowing a million young people from Europe to come to the UK and compete directly for those jobs.”
The EU is insisting that British universities charge European students less than the international rate of £38,000 a year. In return, the UK has sought to impose an annual limit on the number of EU young people allowed to enter the country.
The Brussels summit is also expected to approve agreements on food and drink intended to reduce bureaucracy, although they would require the UK to accept EU rules. A separate carbon emissions agreement would connect the UK and EU emissions-trading systems, meaning Britain would no longer be covered by EU carbon taxes.
Mr Burnham has said his meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen could open a “dialogue” about the UK’s long-term relationship with Europe. He has not ruled out the possibility of Britain eventually rejoining the EU.
Last month, Mr Burnham told the Commons: “On the table is a trade deal covering food and drink products, an emissions-trading agreement, progress towards linking our energy systems, a new youth experience scheme and closer cooperation on immigration.”
The ministerial backlash comes as concerns grow within Cabinet that Mr Burnham’s position on the EU is distracting from the government’s central agenda.
Another minister said: “Look at last week. The message discipline was terrible. The focus should have been entirely on the Budget, but No 10 was talking about Brexit and slavery reparations.”