Burnham pushes for closer EU ties

Prime Minister Andy Burnham's push for closer EU ties is causing ripples in his party and others.

Ahead of a week focusing minds on the UK's relationship with the bloc, Burnham will meet European leaders in Dublin to sell his vision for Britain's future in the bloc.

Some welcome his approach, including those with formerly Brexit-backing constituencies. Angela Rayner, for example, is understood to have been pushing former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to be bolder on Brexit since at least autumn 2022.

The housing secretary is said to have been insistent that Labour needs to stick to its manifesto red lines – not to return to the EU single market, customs union, or freedom of movement – but is open minded to changing those at the next election.

Jonathan Reynolds, the Business and Trade Secretary, is supportive of getting closer to the EU and discussing the UK's long term relationship. However, he has previously warned against joining the EU's customs union and is also unsure about the prospect of rejoining the EU, highlighting the uncertainty of what terms the UK would face, and what the bloc could look like in years to come with nationalist parties in the ascendancy in several European countries.

Lord Cameron told Bloomberg's Mishal Husain that starting a conversation about rejoining would be