Andy Burnham is confronting a Labour backlash over the return of Brexit divisions, with mounting signs of tension inside the Cabinet.
In an interview yesterday, the PM appeared to embrace the idea of restoring open borders with the EU as part of efforts to build closer ties.
He said a referendum would be required to bring back free movement, adding that he would “never move ahead of the British public when it comes to Brexit”.
But the issue descended into confusion later, when Downing Street insisted the public might not be asked to vote on the matter after all.
No10 argued that the PM “isn’t proposing a return to free movement”, despite reports that the idea is already being discussed in negotiations.
The prospect of reopening the divisive debate over Britain’s borders is nevertheless intensifying tensions within Labour.
Melanie Onn, the MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said freedom of movement had been a “defining” issue in the Brexit vote. Any suggestion that the rules could be restored risked destroying “trust”, she warned.
Her remarks echoed earlier warnings from Labour MPs representing constituencies that voted to leave the EU.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who is understood to be wary of rejoining the customs union and single market, avoided giving a direct answer on the issue this morning.
Asked whether he personally supported restoring free movement, Mr Reynolds said he was sticking to the “Government line”.
He said the PM was merely outlining “things the EU would ask for” in exchange for a closer relationship.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is also reportedly “furious” over the fresh row about freedom of movement, which has been seized upon by Nigel Farage.
Andy Burnham used an interview yesterday to highlight the possibility of restoring open borders with the EU as part of his push for closer ties.
Melanie Onn, MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, said freedom of movement had been a “defining” issue in the Brexit vote.
Speaking in a series of television interviews yesterday, Mr Burnham called for an “honest conversation” about the potential benefits of reviving the arrangements as part of a new agreement with Brussels.
“I don’t think things have worked out as they said they would at the time, particularly when it comes to immigration,” he said.
He intends to present several options for a new UK-EU relationship at a summit next month. Those proposals are expected to include joining the single market and customs union, as well as the possibility of fully re-entering the EU.
Asked whether free movement could return without a referendum, Mr Burnham replied: “No.”
Yet, just hours later, No10 said the Government had not reached the point of developing “concrete proposals”.
A spokesman for the PM said: “The Prime Minister isn’t proposing a return to freedom of movement or any option,” despite the interview with the Sunday Times appearing to prepare the ground for such a move.
‘He is saying that it’s time for us to discuss what kind of long-term relationship with Europe is best for Britain and he is referring to the types of areas that that agreement and long-term future could cover.’
The spokesman even suggested Mr Burnham’s stated wish to rejoin the EU during his lifetime was a ‘personal view’ rather than government policy.
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It was the second time this month that No10 has been forced to ‘clarify’ the PM’s remarks on Brexit, after he suggested the 2016 referendum result was influenced by the Kremlin.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Reynolds said ‘no assumptions’ have been made about what comes after next month’s summit with the EU.
Pressed on whether UK officials are talking or planning to talk about freedom of movement, he said: ‘They will be talking to them about what the future options for our relationship might be.
‘But here and now, the focus should be on the summit and the tangible difference improvements we’re going to make.’
Challenged on LBC whether he was personally in favour of free movement, Mr Reynolds said it was ‘for the PM to set out’.
Told that is was ‘not for the PM to set out how you feel Mr Reynolds’, the Business Secretary replied: ‘When Mr Reynolds is the business secretary he takes the line of the Government.’
Asked if the future relationship and free movement with the EU were part of talks happening in the run-up to the meeting, a spokeswoman for the PM said today: ‘No, they’re not.
‘Our negotiations are focused solely on next month’s summit and the practical agreements that we hope to make there that will add billions to the economy and cut the red tape that holds back British business.
‘The deal that was initially negotiated was clearly not good enough, and the summit will go some way to addressing that.’
Mr Burnham will then set out ‘next steps’ on the UK’s longer-term relationship with the EU around the time of the summit with the bloc’s chiefs next month.
He will also set out details of how he plans to gauge public support for any proposals, she said.
In an article for Politics.co.uk, Ms Onn said freedom of movement was ‘one of the defining issues of the ‘once in a generation’ Brexit referendum, for many it raised fundamental questions about immigration, contribution and fairness’.
‘These concerns have not simply disappeared,’ she warned.
‘Reopening freedom of movement risks reigniting divisions when the country desperately needs a more constructive conversation.’
Ms Onn said ‘perhaps most importantly’ was the ‘question of trust’, as the 2024 Labour manifesto had been ‘unequivocal’ about not returning to the ‘single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement’.
‘That was a clear commitment made to the electorate, including in communities such as Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, where the Brexit vote reflected a deep sense that Westminster had stopped listening,’ she said.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, thought to be a sceptic of moves to rejoin the customs union and single market, dodged on the issue this morning
‘Political trust is hard won and easily lost. The perception that promises made at elections can subsequently be revisited by a political establishment removed from the realities of working communities has left lasting scars.’
Ms Onn said there were ‘genuine opportunities for trade, growth and young people’ in negotiations with the EU.
‘None of those ambitions depend on the reopening of the debate around freedom of movement,’ she said.
‘If the PM is serious about offering hope, there is no hope without trust.’