Burnham calls for honest debate

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Britain should have an honest discussion about readopting freedom of movement with the European Union.

What Britain lost with Brexit

Burnham told The Sunday Times that ending free movement meant losing access to Eurodac, the EU's biometric database that assists border control and asylum management.

“Consider what we've lost, which was the ability to be part of Eurodac and all the data collaboration around migration.”

UK wants back into Eurodac

Major General Duncan Capps, the UK's border security commander, told MPs this week that Britain would very much like to be part of Eurodac.

“we would very much like to be part of that, however we can make that work”

Labour shifts on EU membership

Burnham wants to consider options for a new EU relationship, potentially including full membership or single market access, which would require free movement.

Migration patterns have changed

Burnham said EU-era migration was different from today's challenges. He described it as revolving door migration where younger people came temporarily then returned.

“Revolving door migration where people would come and then go back is different. The balance of migration has changed, hasn't it, since then?”

Farage and Philp reject the idea

Nigel Farage called Burnham's comments a betrayal of Brexit voters. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said free movement would mean uncontrolled migration from Europe.

“This is a total betrayal of Brexit Britain and his Makerfield pitch.”

Burnham meets EU leaders in Brussels

Burnham will meet European Union chiefs at a summit on November twenty in Brussels and plans to lay out different options for the future relationship.