Once again the old question of Britain's place beside Europe stirs at the edge of public life, as British and European officials prepare to talk about the shape their relationship might take in the years ahead. The talks sit in the long shadow of Brexit, a rupture still tender in many communities, and the government's careful language reflects a nation unsure how much of its past choices it is willing to revisit. Before the summit of 20 November, the government presses on with practical matters of food, energy and emissions, while the larger question of free movement waits in the wings, a ques
UK and EU Officials to Open Talks on Future Relationship, Including Freedom of Movement
Trust is hard-earned and easily lost.
Mark
Reynolds says officials will discuss options including free movement, yet Downing Street says there are no talks on it. Which is it?
Mimi
Both statements are on the record. Reynolds said officials will discuss what future options might be, before the 20 November summit. The spokesperson said there are no current discussions on free movement. The difference seems to be between future options and the present negotiating agenda.
Luke
That's a reading, though. The reporting doesn't say what the officials will actually discuss, or at what level. We have one minister's phrasing and one spokesperson's denial, and they sit awkwardly together.
Mark
What is actually on the table for the summit?
Mimi
Food and drink, electricity and emissions trading, according to Reynolds, with youth mobility also named by Downing Street as a focus.
Mark
And the referendum question?
Mimi
It's unsettled. Burnham said he wouldn't reintroduce free movement without one, then Downing Street said no decision had been made on whether a vote would be needed.
Luke
Worth being plain here: nothing has been decided. Burnham has said major change needs an election mandate, and he's pledged to keep the 2024 red lines this parliament.
Mark
What about the claim that he sees free movement as a real option?
Mimi
That's Westminster's interpretation, based on him ruling out the euro and Schengen but not free movement.
Luke
Right, an inference from what he hasn't said. And the idea it will go down well with Lib Dem and Green-leaning voters is described as a widely held view, not a measured finding.
Il Polso
- Ministers are trying to hold two stories at once: practical summit deals in food and energy, and a wider conversation about free movement that refuses to stay quiet.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham's remarks about a possible referendum have sparked confusion, with Downing Street later saying no decision has been made.
- Labour MPs in Leave-voting seats fear that reopening the debate will cost them the trust they regained in 2024, and warn that the scars have not healed.
- Reform UK's Nigel Farage insists Burnham lacks a mandate and should take his ideas to a general election, raising the pressure before the 20 November summit.
- The government aims to offer the public clear trade-offs after the summit, but for now the path is uneven, with mixed messages and a party divided.
Once again the old question of Britain's place beside Europe stirs at the edge of public life, as British and European officials prepare to talk about the shape their relationship might take in the years ahead. The talks sit in the long shadow of Brexit, a rupture still tender in many communities, and the government's careful language reflects a nation unsure how much of its past choices it is willing to revisit. Before the summit of 20 November, the government presses on with practical matters of food, energy and emissions, while the larger question of free movement waits in the wings, a question that will ultimately belong to the voters.
On Radio 4's Today programme, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said British and European officials would begin discussing future options for the UK's relationship with the EU, and that those options included free movement. The talks are expected to start before the EU summit on 20 November.
Downing Street moved quickly to narrow the picture. Its focus, a spokesperson said, is on securing new deals at the summit in areas such as food and youth mobility, and there are no current discussions on freedom of movement. Reynolds himself described the present talks as concerning food and drink, electricity and emissions trading, and said no assumptions had been made about the long-term relationship with Brussels.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer, has said he wants an honest conversation about returning to free movement. He has also insisted that any major change would need a mandate at a general election, and he has pledged to keep to Labour's 2024 red lines on free movement, the single market and the customs union. The messaging has been untidy: Burnham left the door open to a referendum, Downing Street later said no decision had been made, and Angela Rayner said no options could be taken off the table.
In Leave-voting seats, the mood is wary. Melanie Onn, who won back Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes in 2024, warned that Burnham risked losing hard-won trust, while Ruth Jones said another referendum now would be divisive. Reform's Nigel Farage argued that Burnham has no mandate to negotiate any of this. The prime minister is due to set out his longer-term thinking after the summit, and until then the country waits to see which path he will take.
On Radio 4's Today programme, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said British and European officials will talk about the future options for the UK's relationship with the EU. Those discussions, he indicated, are expected to begin before the EU summit on 20 November, and the range of options includes free movement.
Downing Street moved to narrow that picture. Its position is that the government's current focus is on securing new deals at the summit in areas such as food and youth mobility. A government spokesperson stressed that there are no current discussions on freedom of movement, and that the government is working with the EU on the areas agreed ahead of the summit and within the manifesto red lines. Reynolds himself said the present talks concern food and drink, electricity and emissions trading. He said no assumptions had been made about what the long-term relationship with Brussels might look like.
The prime minister is Andy Burnham, who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer, and he has said he wants an honest discussion about the prospect of returning to free movement between the UK and EU. Free movement lets EU citizens travel, live, study and work in any member country, and it is a precondition of membership of the EU's single market, which lets goods, services and people move between member states under many common rules and standards. Burnham has been clear that any major change to the relationship would need a mandate at a general election, due by 2029. He has vowed to keep to the red lines in Labour's 2024 manifesto: no return to freedom of movement, the single market or the customs union for the duration of this parliament.
Reynolds said the prime minister will set out the long-term position after the summit. In his words, the government needs as little uncertainty as possible, because the EU side faces a series of policy changes that will affect Britain, and Burnham will be frank with the public about the trade-offs. Pressed on whether UK officials are talking to the EU about free movement, Reynolds said they will discuss what future options might be, but that the focus now should be on the summit and the tangible improvements it can deliver.
The messaging has not been entirely tidy. On Monday Burnham left the door open to a referendum on free movement. Earlier, he told broadcasters he would not reintroduce it without a referendum, which caused some confusion, and Downing Street later said no decisions had been made on whether a public vote would be needed. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told the BBC on Sunday that no options could be taken off the table. Burnham did seem to draw some lines of his own in the Sunday Times, saying he would not favour joining the euro or the border-free Schengen zone. That he has not said the same about free movement is read in Westminster as a sign he regards it as a genuine option.
Burnham is far more willing than Starmer to discuss Brexit in public. Starmer's government was wary of reopening a debate that had proved so contentious. Some in Labour had urged Starmer to go further, and Burnham's comments are widely expected to play well with voters tempted by the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
But MPs with small majorities in Brexit-backing seats facing Reform are nervous. Melanie Onn, who holds Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, an area that voted to leave, lost the seat to the Conservatives in 2019 and won it back in 2024. She told Today that Burnham risked losing trust by talking about going beyond the 2024 manifesto. She said the scars have not healed for many people, called the conversation unnecessary at this time, and added that trust is hard-earned and easily lost. Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islwyn, told BBC Wales that Labour must respect the referendum result. On a possible referendum on free movement she said the party is a long way from that, and that another vote now would be divisive.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told BBC Breakfast that Burnham has no mandate to be in Brussels negotiating any of this, and urged him to put his ideas to the public at a general election. The next marker is 20 November, after which the prime minister is due to set out his thinking on the longer-term relationship.
Citazioni salienti
No assumptions have been made on that.— Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, BBC Radio 4 Today
Andy Burnham has no mandate to be in Brussels, to be negotiating any of this.— Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, BBC Breakfast
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su BBC News ↗
Politics & Governance