Andy Burnham has said the public will expect the Government to take with both hands the chance to raise economic growth through closer trade ties with the European Union.
Asked whether it was acceptable for the UK to have food-trade rules made by the EU without any input, he told broadcasters that a UK-EU summit two weeks on Friday offers him the chance to add to UK growth. He put the estimate at up to 0.4% extra on GDP and said people in Britain would expect him to take that, given where the country has been in recent times. Britain is not in the EU and therefore has to work with it in a different way, he said, but if an agreement can bring growth, help farmers and remove red tape from British businesses, most people would expect him to negotiate the best deal he can.
The Prime Minister defended plans to accept a new agreement with Brussels on food and farming while attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua. He had earlier told the Economist that the Treasury had confirmed in recent days that agreements under negotiation ahead of a summit later this month 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 20 November. The BBC reported that a draft text has been circulated among the 27 EU members, a sign that a food and agriculture deal is almost finalised, together with similar documents on the emissions trading and youth mobility plans.