Burnham to push for new post-Brexit deals at EU summit

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told MPs he will push for new post-Brexit deals with the EU at a summit next month.

He said "deeper cooperation" on some key issues - including youth mobility, food and drink, and energy - would help drive economic growth in the UK.

In a statement to MPs, Burnham also warned the EU's Made In Europe plans posed "a risk to UK manufacturing" and said he was in talks to get "an arrangement" that worked for the UK. The EU proposals aim to protect EU industry from Chinese competitors but could impact British industry and supply chains.

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the prime minister was "unpicking" the deal the UK signed with the EU.

Although he said he was keen to negotiate a closer relationship with the EU, Burnham made clear Labour's manifesto commitments not to return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement, would stay in place until the next election.

Burnham said the "immediate priority" was securing a successful outcome at the November summit, adding: "I believe we should then set up a serious dialogue about the different options for our relationship in the long term.

"At every stage, the British public will be the boss, and I am clear that public opinion currently supports a pragmatic approach like the one I am suggesting."

While the prime minister has committed to the current Labour manifesto's red lines about Brexit, in interviews after Labour conference, he did not rule out a new manifesto, which could include re-joining the EU.