Our community reacts as the new prime minister holds firm on Labour’s Brexit red lines, with some readers demanding he go further and others urging him to wait for a fresh mandate
Andy Burnham has faced a mixed reaction from Independent readers after committing to stick to Sir Keir Starmer’s Brexit red lines, days after signalling he wanted to be “bolder” in forging closer ties with Europe.
Downing Street confirmed on Monday that the UK will not seek to rejoin the EU, the single market, the customs union or free movement – disappointing many who had hoped Britain’s new prime minister might chart a different course.
Some accused Burnham of falling at the first hurdle, citing recent trips to France and Italy where they found everyday costs were a fraction of UK prices, as evidence of what’s being lost.
Others welcomed the caution, arguing any change of course should wait for a fresh mandate at the next general election, with several defending the result of the 2016 referendum.
A number predicted rejoining the EU is inevitable eventually, but just not on this parliament’s watch.
Get a grip, Andy. The UK is lost and “stuck in a rut” by being out of the EU. I agree with him when he said he wants to be “bolder”, but that’s not enough. Bolder should mean joining the single market and being in the customs union. It makes sense to be back in the EU. We’ve recently returned from Italy, where the cost of food and drink was strikingly lower than here in the UK.
The prime minister has acted sensibly with his commitment to stick to the manifesto red lines on rejoining the EU, the single market and the customs union. This country is a democracy, and should respect the result of the referendum. If Labour wants to change, it should go to the electorate in 2029 with its plan – and if the party wins a majority, it will be right to revisit it, not otherwise.
We’re campaigning to rebuild Britain’s future in Europe