Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered – UK politics live | Politics
Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered for better relationship with Europe
Good morning. Andy Burnham’s speech is getting a mixed review in the papers, but there is general consensus that it is a consequential one – not one that we will have forgotten within a fortnight or so, but one that will make the next list of all-time important Labour conference speeches of the last 50 years.
If you are still catching up, here are three good places to start.
Pippa Crerar’s overnight splash for the Guardian.
Rafael Behr’s take in comment.
The Guardian’s view in its editorial.
The conference wraps up today, with four cabinet ministers speaking. But much of the attention will be on digesting the significance of what the PM said yesterday.
Burnham has given a series of interviews which are playing out this morning. Speaking to the Today programme, Burnham confirmed that, when he told delegates yesterday he would be looking at ways of having a better relationship with the EU, rejoining would be one of the options.
Burnham said:
We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay.
We could look at what [former Conservative chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.
There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each.
I will post more from his interviews soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: The conference opens.
9.45am: Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, speaks.
10.15am: Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, speaks.
11.10am: Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, speaks.
12.10pm: Lucy Powell, the deputy leader, gives the final speech of the conference.
I’m afraid we are no longer able to have comments open below the line every day on this blog. If you want to contact me, please email politics.live@theguardian.com. You can use this email to flag up corrections, comments for publication, questions or complaints.
Key events
Burnham says he doesn’t have ‘huge room for manoeuvre’ to help people with cost of living
Andy Burnham has said that the government does not have “huge room for manoeuvre” as it looks at how it can help people with the cost of living.
In his interview with BBC Breakfast, Burnham said:
We’re thinking all of the time, ‘how do we take a bit of pressure off people, give them some breathing space?’
It’s why one of the first decisions I took as prime minister was to remove VAT off electricity bills, and that will happen on Thursday …
We’ll do something to help people with bus fares next year, the £2 cap for the whole of the year, and then in the budget we will consider further measures.
It’s important for me to say that we don’t have huge room for manoeuvre.
I think people can see that when they look at the financial picture, but within that we will do our best, and we’ll also try to support people who are struggling with the cost of doing business ’cause it’s hard to run a business right now as well.
Burnham says he’s looking at ‘every possible measure’ to help people with energy costs, but stresses funding not easy
Andy Burnham has said that he accepts there will could be an energy crisis this winter.
In his interview with the Today programme, Burnham was asked if he agreed with Simone Rossi, CEO of the energy company EDF, who told the programme in an interview that Britain was “walking into a second significant energy crisis after the one we experienced just four years ago”.
Asked about the comment, Burnham said:
I don’t think that is an overstatement to be honest.
The situation was “very challenging” for people buying petrol, or heating their homes, he said.
I’m doing what I can, removing say VAT off bills. But it is very difficult indeed, and it’s why the Middle East situation needs to command a lot of our attention.
Asked what he might be able to do to help people, Burnham told BBC Breakfast:
I’m considering everything that might help people in very difficult times and I will be honest and say every possible measure is being looked at.
The question I’ve got is, how many can I afford, what can we do given the state of the public finances?
And people wouldn’t thank me for making unfunded payments that then cause pressure on mortgages – and we’ve seen that in the past and we’re not going back there.
Burnham said, when he talked about considering every possible measure to help with energy costs, that included looking at whether to scrap a fuel duty increase planned for next year.
According to the BBC, Andy Burnham will be attending his father’s funeral after he leaves the Labour conference today.
Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU among all ‘the options’ being considered for better relationship with Europe
Good morning. Andy Burnham’s speech is getting a mixed review in the papers, but there is general consensus that it is a consequential one – not one that we will have forgotten within a fortnight or so, but one that will make the next list of all-time important Labour conference speeches of the last 50 years.
If you are still catching up, here are three good places to start.
Pippa Crerar’s overnight splash for the Guardian.
Rafael Behr’s take in comment.
The Guardian’s view in its editorial.
The conference wraps up today, with four cabinet ministers speaking. But much of the attention will be on digesting the significance of what the PM said yesterday.
Burnham has given a series of interviews which are playing out this morning. Speaking to the Today programme, Burnham confirmed that, when he told delegates yesterday he would be looking at ways of having a better relationship with the EU, rejoining would be one of the options.
Burnham said:
We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay.
We could look at what [former Conservative chancellor] George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.
There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each.
I will post more from his interviews soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: The conference opens.
9.45am: Angela Eagle, the environment secretary, speaks.
10.15am: Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, speaks.
11.10am: Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, speaks.
12.10pm: Lucy Powell, the deputy leader, gives the final speech of the conference.
I’m afraid we are no longer able to have comments open below the line every day on this blog. If you want to contact me, please email politics.live@theguardian.com. You can use this email to flag up corrections, comments for publication, questions or complaints.
