Andy Burnham has told Kemi Badenoch to have “a little humility” over the legacy of the Conservatives’ Brexit deal.
Speaking during prime minister’s questions, the Tory leader criticised Burnham for suggesting the UK could agree to freedom of movement with the EU in his quest to forge closer ties with the trade bloc.
But Burnham turned the tables back on Badenoch.
The prime minister pointed out that in January 2025, Badenoch herself admitted it was a “mistake for the Conservative Party to leave the European Union before we had a plan for growth outside the EU”.
Burnham continued: “She may as well have said it was a mistake to leave the EU without a plan in place to control migration.
“Because that is what led to the Boris-wave during the government that she was in moved away from revolving door migration to long-term settlement.”
He said that’s why his home secretary Shabana Mahmood is reforming the migration system.
“Let’s have a little humility from the benches opposite that left Britain with low growth and migration out of control,” he added.
Badenoch said: “I stand by my words! When we make mistakes we own up to them, they pretend they never do anything wrong.”
“That is the difference between him and I,” she said, reminding the PM that he had insisted on respecting the referendum result only earlier this year.
But Burnham insisted: “The red lines in the manifesto are clearly in place.”
The PM deflected by reminding the Tory leader that she has previously refused to say if she really thinks the EU exit deal improved the UK.
Badenoch insisted that it did, adding: “He is using those freedoms today, but he doesn’t want to admit that.”
She added that the country was “paralysed and miserable” during the Brexit wars, and claimed: “Does the prime minister really think the country wants to reopen that debate?”
But Burnham hit back: “Now she is speaking the truth. The country was paralysed by the party opposite. Low growth, insufficient control on migration, that is what this side of the House is dealing with.”
The prime minister told Makerfield constituents – who voted Leave in 2016 – that he would not “re-run” arguments from 2016 when he campaigning to be their MP earlier this year.
However, since getting into No.10, Burnham has been accused of reigniting the debate by pointing out the negative impact leaving the EU has had on the UK.
On Monday, he said: “I’ve said I’m going to be honest and say, in my lifetime I would like to see that happen, but I am not going to move ahead of the public.
“I am not going to dictate in terms of my own opinions here, you have to make sure that the British public are the bosses.”
Burnham added: “I said we wouldn’t rerun the referendum and that’s not what I’m doing.
“The British public, the people of Makerfield, will be the bosses here. They will decide what happens in relation to Brexit.”
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