LONDON — Andy Burnham will argue Monday it would be a “dereliction of duty” for Britain not to seek closer ties with the EU. In a House of Commons statement reopening Britain's highly-charged Brexit debate, the prime minister will claim the vast majority of the public would back a closer relationship with the EU if it helps to control immigration and boost economic growth, according to a U.K. official briefed on the statement. But it is time for a different conversation about what our long-term relationship should be,” said the U.K. official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
The U.K. prime minister will address MPs after telling the Rest is Politics podcast it is “clear” Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum. In subsequent media interviews Monday, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty suggested that the U.K. government does not believe that interference was successful, and the prime minister's spokesperson told reporters: "We do believe the referendum result to be legitimate." Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage, one of the most high profile campaigners for Brexit in 2016, said Burnham's Russian interference claim was "outrageous" and accused the prime minister of being a "liar." He acknowledged Brexit had led to more inconvenience for some businesses, like the haulage firm where he was giving the speech, but said: "When you have borders to protect your country, there is some level of inconvenience.” This story has been updated to include comments from Nigel Farage.
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