Lord Frost: Burnham has ‘a real problem’ over previous calls to rejoin the EU

Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has said he thinks Andy Burnham has “a real problem” in Makerfield, as Burnham had previously called for the UK to rejoin the EU.

Speaking on GB News, Lord Frost said: “You have to hand it to Wes Streeting really, he’s caused huge problems for Andy Burnham over this, but he’s only said what everyone knows they already think.

“I doubt there is a single member of the Labour cabinet who doesn’t think that we ought to be back in the European Union one day. If there is one, it’d probably be quite a good time to come out and say that.

“We all know they wanted to. We all know that they think Brexit is some horrific sort of error, distortion of history that somehow the British people voted for, and they want to get us back as soon as they possibly can.

“If they didn’t, why would they be so happy to push past what the manifesto says about the reset, get into the single market for food, the single market for electricity, go back into Erasmus, and all these other things?

“Honestly, they really don’t care. All this is about is about domestic positioning, and the only thing that is stopping them is the British people saying, ‘Hang on a minute, we voted for this, you can’t do that.’

“And that’s the only thing that stopped Andy Burnham today is the fact he’s got a vote in a month’s time.

“What I hope [Ursula von der Leyen] is thinking, looking at this mess and thinking, ‘You know what? I’m not sure I really want to get the EU a bit closer to this bunch of jokers’. In two or three years’ time, perhaps, we’re going to have a different government that will change it all again.

“And I know there are people in Brussels who think this, who think that the EU really should be a bit more cautious about this, given the way British politics is. And they’re right; these things could turn around, and I hope they will turn around in a couple of years.

“So, if she’s having doubts then that’s very good.

“I really think what [Andy Burnham] said shows he must think the voters in Makerfield are idiots if he expects them to believe that he can make two contradictory statements and one of them is somehow not operative. I think he’s got a real problem here.”