Burnham triggers talk of a Brexit reversal after accusing Russia of meddling in vote

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed on The Rest is Politics podcast that Russia interfered with the 2016 Brexit referendum. Burnham stated that after arriving at 10 Downing Street, he received a clear answer that interference had occurred, though he did not specify the form or extent of the activity. He argued the UK has not sufficiently informed the public about overseas attempts to disrupt the political process and warned that similar activities are currently occurring in Europe, specifically in France and Germany.

Regarding relations with the European Union, Burnham told MPs on Monday that the UK will hold an annual meeting with the EU on November 20. At this summit, he intends to sign off on agreements concerning energy markets and food standards proposed by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Burnham expressed a desire to take a pragmatic approach and suggested that being open to long-term discussions about the UK's relationship with the EU could enhance those chances.

Burnham’s comments follow suggestions that he could explore a full return to the economic bloc, which prompted accusations from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch that he is unpicking the deal signed after the UK left. Burnham clarified that his immediate priority is the upcoming summit, though he noted that public opinion supports a pragmatic approach. The 2024 Labour Party manifesto stated the UK would not re-join the single market or customs union under a Labour government.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Kyiv Post, City AM — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.