Plaid MP urges Burnham to include EU membership in talks on Britain’s future

Plaid Cymru has urged the UK Government to keep full European Union membership on the table as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares for talks aimed at securing closer ties with the bloc.

Ceredigion Preseli MP Ben Lake challenged the Prime Minister to include the customs union and single market in that discussion.

Mr Lake was speaking during a Commons statement in which Mr Burnham announced that a UK-EU summit would take place in Brussels on November 20. The meeting had been postponed following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation.

The Prime Minister welcomed Mr Lake’s “open-minded approach” and said he would not turn away from difficult questions, although he did not explicitly express support for rejoining the EU.

Mr Lake told MPs: “I commend the Prime Minister for his statement and specifically for his acknowledgment of the significant harm that Brexit has wrought on our communities.”

He asked whether a serious discussion about Britain’s long-term relationship with Europe would include membership of the customs union, single market and “possibly the European Union”.

Mr Burnham replied: “It is right that we have a discussion in the House about where we want to go and where we want to take this country in the next decade.

“Let us be clearer about our direction in the next decade than we were in the last.”

He added: “I am not going to turn away from questions just because they might be awkward or difficult. That is what has got us into this position.

“We have turned away from things that we should have dealt with. I am not going to do that.”

Mr Lake’s comments follow a call from Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, for Britain to rejoin the EU.

Speaking at the party’s conference on October 3, she said: “So, we mustn’t whisper in euphemisms. While others edge cautiously towards conclusions we already understand, we in Plaid Cymru are not afraid to be bold.

“For our economy, for jobs, for opportunities, we must rejoin the European Union.”

Polling

Plaid pointed to Wales-specific YouGov polling which it said found that 61% believed Britain was wrong to leave the EU and 65% regarded Brexit as more of a failure than a success. The party said a majority supported rejoining.

At the November summit, the two sides will seek agreements on food and drink trade, youth mobility and emissions trading.

Mr Burnham said the proposed deals could add more than £10 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040, with the potential for further gains.

He also pledged to raise concerns about proposed “Made in Europe” trade rules, amid fears among businesses that they could exclude British manufacturers.

The Prime Minister said the talks offered an opportunity to boost economic growth and improve co-operation on controlling illegal immigration.

“If we are serious about promoting growth, controlling immigration, upholding our values and security, it is a conversation we must have,” he told MPs.

“Sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain. Worse, it would be a major dereliction of duty to turn away.”

Mr Burnham said securing agreements at the summit was his immediate priority, adding that the British public would be “the boss” at every stage.

‘Unpicking’

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of “unpicking” the Brexit deal and weakening his negotiating position by announcing his objectives in advance.

“He is not going to get a better deal,” she told the Commons.

“The EU are tough negotiators, and it’s not just that the EU are tough negotiators, he has already revealed his entire negotiating hand.”