Andy Burnham torn apart by furious Nigel Farage over Brexit 'sell out'
The Prime Minister has come under fire over his bid to reverse Brexit
Andy Burnham was accused of “selling out” the British public for closer ties with the EU, as he stepped up his Brexit surrender. The Prime Minister - who is poised to sign major new giveaways with Brussels next week - was slammed after cosying up to European leaders over dinner.
Nigel Farage blasted: “It’s now clear that Andy Burnham is determined to sell out the British people and our national interest in favour of the European Union.” Mr Burnham joined counterparts at the European Political Community meeting in Dublin on Thursday, as he continues to finalise the terms of his reset with the EU.
French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen were among those he held talks with in Ireland.
Concerns are growing that the Labour leader will make deep concessions to get better trade terms at a crunch EU-UK summit next Friday.
They could include contributions to Brussels coffers, a youth “free movement” scheme and taking the bloc's rules.
Member states are also gearing up to play hardball over demands for cut-price tuition fees.
The Prime Minister has also triggered a wider push for rejoining the EU entirely after the next general election, which has proved toxic within the Cabinet.
Many people also see this as a complete betrayal of the 17.4million people who voted to leave the European Union for good in the 2016 referendum.
Mr Farage told the Express, which successfully campaigned for Britain to quit the EU, “He wants to open the borders to 500 million people in the EU and pay over 40 billion a year just for the privilege of rejoining.
“It’s time Brussels Burnham put the interests of the British people first but if the Prime Minister wants this fight all over again - I say bring it on.”
His warning shot comes after David Cameron said it would be bad for the UK to go back into the bloc, urging the current PM to stop blaming Brexit for the UK's economic woes.
Lord Cameron saw his own premiership derailed by his loss in the referendum, during which he led the Remain campaign.
In a major intervention, he told Bloomberg: “If you look at the economic problems we have today, I don't really think they've got anything to do with Brexit at all”.
Meanwhile, Senior Tory MP Dame Priti Patel also warned: “Andy Burnham’s obsession with the EU risks dragging Britain backwards, damaging our economy and leaving hardworking British taxpayers footing the bill.
“The British people voted to leave the EU. That democratic decision must be respected, not endlessly undermined by the liberal left establishment who refuse to accept it.
“Instead of reopening old Brexit arguments, Burnham should be focused on the real challenges facing our country: driving economic growth, cutting taxes, reducing regulation and backing British businesses.
“We need a government focused on Britain's future, not one obsessed with returning to its past.”
Mr Burnham has said he will use next week’s summit to “set up a serious dialogue” about the UK's longer-term ties with the EU, having claimed that “sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain”.
The former Manchester Mayor, who has previously expressed a wish to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime, has said he will soon set out “different options”for voters.
But his reopening of the Brexit debate has created a major divide within the Labour party with his senior team split on the matter.
A government source said: “This has made some people quite uncomfortable in government. “Some believe it will be regarded as some kind of surrender that won’t go down well in their ‘Red Wall’ constituencies. Others, though, are completely up for the fight.”
It comes as a new report today (Fri) warns that closer alignment with areas of EU law will lead to a red tape nightmare that could push up consumer prices, business costs and household budgets.
The House of Lords European Affairs Committee said dynamic alignment arrangements will make for a fundamental change in the UK-EU relationship that will increase the demands on Parliament.
Lord Stirrup, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, said: "This may sound like a technical issue, but the rules in question can affect everyday matters, from food standards and consumer prices to business costs and household budgets.”
Mr Burnham announced that the UK is sanctioning all 10 of Russia’s major oil producers at yesterday’s European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin.
He also ramped up pressure on Vladimir Putin to take peace talks seriously.
Mr Burnham said Britain has slapped a package of new sanctions on Moscow, including on shadow fleet vessels illicitly transporting Russian oil, Russian oil company Slavneft, and Rosneft’s flagship Arctic oil and gas project LLC Vostok Oil.
