Angela Rayner said no options should be ruled out in future European Union talks
Senior Cabinet minister Angela Rayner said nothing should be ruled out in “honest conversations” with the EU. Rayner said Andy Burnham was not trying to reopen the 2016 Brexit debate. Labour’s 2024 manifesto ruled out returning to free movement, single-market membership and a customs union; any fundamental change would have to wait until after a general election.
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Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said no option should be ruled out in “honest conversations” with the European Union about a future relationship. She said Andy Burnham was not trying to reopen the arguments of the 2016 Brexit referendum. Her comments followed the Prime Minister’s call for an “honest discussion” about freedom of movement as he considers options for a new relationship with the EU. Rayner referred to an upcoming summit and a 10-year plan being written, saying: “We can’t go backwards.” Labour’s 2024 election manifesto ruled out free movement, single-market membership and a customs union; the article said fundamental change would have to wait until after a general election. Reform MP Robert Jenrick called a return to free movement “completely mad,” while Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper backed it, saying the arrangement was reciprocal.
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Verifier’s note
AOL reports that senior Cabinet minister Angela Rayner said nothing should be taken off the table in discussions about the UK’s future relationship with the EU, matching the claim that she backed debating a return to free movement. It was published on the same day as the proposed event.