Andy Burnham has said people in Britain would expect him to take “with both hands” the chance to raise growth through closer trade with the EU. He defended plans to accept a new agreement with Brussels on food and farming while attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua.
Asked whether it was acceptable for the UK to have food-trade rules made by the EU without any input, he said what faces him two weeks on Friday is a UK-EU summit where he can add to UK growth. “It’s estimated up to 0.4% extra on GDP,” he said, adding that people in Britain would expect him to take that opportunity given where the country has been in recent times.
He said the UK is not in the EU and therefore has to work with it in a different way. If the talks can bring growth, help farmers and remove red tape from British businesses, he said most people would expect him to go to the summit and negotiate the best deal he can.
Earlier, he said a new deal could add billions more to the UK economy than previously suggested and accused opponents of “misreading the public mood” over Brexit. He told The Economist that the Treasury had confirmed in recent days that the agreements under negotiation could raise GDP by 0.4%, up from a previous estimate of 0.3%.
Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at a Brussels summit on November 20. The BBC reported that a draft text on food and agriculture has been circulated among the 27 EU members, along with similar documents on the emissions trading and youth mobility plans, a sign that the food and agriculture deal is almost finalised.