Burnham has 'no mandate' to reopen Brexit debate - Farage

Updated / Tuesday, 27 Oct 2026 08:47

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has "no mandate" to reopen arguments on Brexit.

Mr Burnham's call at the weekend for an "honest discussion" about a return to freedom of movement has fuelled questions about the parameters around his vision for a deepening relationship with Brussels.

He has said he is not proposing any changes in the current UK parliament that would move away from the red lines in Labour's manifesto.

Mr Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Five months ago, Andy Burnham says … I'm not going to reopen these arguments.

"Two-and-a-half years ago, a Labour government got a massive majority in Parliament saying we will not be re-entering the single market, the customs union, or opening up a debate on the free movement of people.

"What I am saying is this: this prime minister has no mandate, and to hear that his officials are negotiating in Brussels already is really very, very poor indeed."

He was referring to reports that UK and EU officials are holding talks about a potential return to free movement.

Mr Burnham is meeting EU chiefs next month for talks with the bloc that continue his predecessor's push for closer ties.

Last month during his speech at the Labour Party press conference, Mr Burnham said that Brexit had done "more harm than good" and called for Britain to consider its "long-term relationship" with the EU.

He said that he would use the UK-EU summit next month to set out what he believed were the "different options" and attempt to find a political consensus on a way forward.