Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered – UK politics live | Politics

In his Today interview, Andy Burnham also said that he thought Britain needed to resolve what its relationship with the EU should be because it could not afford another decade of drift.

He explained:

What I am saying is it’s not good enough to leave that question just hanging.

I am saying, let’s be clear about where we want Britain to go in the next decade. And I’ve asked people to join with me on that.

The country cannot have a decade, another one like the one we’ve just had, where we’ve had too much drift, too much division.

I am very clear, and I will say this bluntly, Brexit has caused more harm than good and I think around 60% of the British public agree with that statement.

So the question is what do we do about that?

And I’m not doing the usual politician thing. I’m being honest about facing up to that, and give people options that they can look at and judge.

Here is more detail on what Andy Burnham said about the possibility of rejoining the EU when he was being interviewed by Nick Robinson on the Today programme.

When Robinson put it to Burnham that ideally he wanted to rejoin, Burnham paused before saying: “I want to look at the options.”

Robinson said that was a long pause, and it sounded as if he meant yes, but did not want to say so.

Burnham replied:

I have said it, there’s no point me denying it, I’ve said in the book I would like to see Britain rejoin in my lifetime. So there was no point saying otherwise.

But it’s not necessarily the case that is now. Because we need to understand what would be the nature of how we would look at the different options.

Burnham then set out four options; the status quo, joining a customs union, joining a customs union and the single market, or rejoining. (See 7.49am.)

Burnham seemed to be referring to his book, Head North, which he co-wrote with Steve Rotheram. In that, they set out an extensive plan for political reform. But they did not say much in it about Brexit.

However, Burnham did declare last year that he wanted the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime.

He is now 56.

Andy Burnham has said that it is not accurate to say that he is getting rid of the pensions triple lock.

In interviews this morning, he challenged this description because the plan he announced yesterday means that the value of the state pension will continue to rise in line with prices, earnings or 2.5%.

But under the current system, pensions rise every year either by 2.5%, or by inflation, or by the annual rise in earnings – which is highest.

After 2030, normally they will rise by 2.5% or by inflation. But if that is not enough to ensure that pensions have risen in line with the average increase in earnings since the policy was introduced, they will rise by that amount.

The pensions triple lock is not a benefit; it is an uprating mechanism, and what Burnham announced means that the earnings element of that mechanism will apply according to a new formula.

The change will save money because, under the current system, if the rise in earnings is particularly big one year, as sometimes happens, there is a rachet effect, and the increase gets baked in for future years.

Burnham told Times Radio:

The decision on the triple lock, the adjustment – and it is an adjustment – it’s not getting rid of the whole concept of the triple lock.

Andy Burnham has said that the government does not have “huge room for manoeuvre” as it looks at how it can help people with the cost of living.

In his interview with BBC Breakfast, Burnham said:

We’re thinking all of the time, ‘how do we take a bit of pressure off people, give them some breathing space?’

It’s why one of the first decisions I took as prime minister was to remove VAT off electricity bills, and that will happen on Thursday …

We’ll do something to help people with bus fares next year, the £2 cap for the whole of the year, and then in the budget we will consider further measures.

It’s important for me to say that we don’t have huge room for manoeuvre.

I think people can see that when they look at the financial picture, but within that we will do our best, and we’ll also try to support people who are struggling with the cost of doing business ’cause it’s hard to run a business right now as well.

Andy Burnham has said that he accepts there will could be an energy crisis this winter.

In his interview with the Today programme, Burnham was asked if he agreed with Simone Rossi, CEO of the energy company EDF, who told the programme in an interview that Britain was “walking into a second significant energy crisis after the one we experienced just four years ago”.

Asked about the comment, Burnham said:

I don’t think that is an overstatement to be honest.

The situation was “very challenging” for people buying petrol, or heating their homes, he said.

I’m doing what I can, removing say VAT off bills. But it is very difficult indeed, and it’s why the Middle East situation needs to command a lot of our attention.

Asked what he might be able to do to help people, Burnham told BBC Breakfast:

I’m considering everything that might help people in very difficult times and I will be honest and say every possible measure is being looked at.

The question I’ve got is, how many can I afford, what can we do given the state of the public finances?

And people wouldn’t thank me for making unfunded payments that then cause pressure on mortgages – and we’ve seen that in the past and we’re not going back there.

Burnham said, when he talked about considering every possible measure to help with energy costs, that included looking at whether to scrap a fuel duty increase planned for next year.

Good morning. Andy Burnham’s speech is getting a mixed review in the papers, but there is general consensus that it is a consequential one – not one that we will have forgotten within a fortnight or so, but one that will make the next list of all-time important Labour conference speeches of the last 50 years.

If you are still catching up, here are three good places to start.

Pippa Crerar’s overnight splash for the Guardian.

Rafael Behr’s take in comment.

The Guardian’s view in its editorial.

The conference wraps up today, with four cabinet ministers speaking. But much of the attention will be on digesting the significance of what the PM said yesterday.

Burnham has given a series of interviews which are playing out this morning. Speaking to the Today programme, Burnham confirmed that, when he told delegates yesterday he would be looking at ways of having a better relationship with the EU, rejoining would be one of the options.

Burnham said:

We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay.

We could look at what [former Conservative chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.

There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each.

I will post more from his interviews soon.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: The conference opens.

9.45am: Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, speaks.

10.15am: Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, speaks.

11.10am: Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, speaks.

12.10pm: Lucy Powell, the deputy leader, gives the final speech of the conference.

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