# Labour's Brexit red lines ready to be retired

> Chris Ward, who helped write Labour's EU pledges, says they should be abandoned to address new security threats from geopolitical shifts.
- Title: Labour's Brexit red lines ready to be retired · the Guardian
- Summary: Chris Ward, who helped write Labour's EU pledges, says they should be abandoned to address new security threats from geopolitical shifts.
- Keywords: chris ward, labour party, brexit, eu relations, keir starmer, andy burnham, geopolitical security, single market, freedom of movement, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/politics/2026/nov/09/labour-mp-brexit-red-lines-dignified-retirement
- Published: 2026-11-09T17:00:14+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: chris ward, labour party, brexit, eu relations, keir starmer, andy burnham, geopolitical security, single market, freedom of movement, news, world
## Ward calls for red lines to retire
Chris Ward, who co-authored Labour's Brexit red lines in the 2024 manifesto, says they should be abandoned at the next election to allow closer EU ties.
## The red lines that need retiring
Labour's red lines rule out rejoining the EU, the single market, the customs union and restoring freedom of movement. Ward says they should now be given a dignified retirement.

> a dignified retirement
## Security shift demands change
Ward says the UK can no longer rely on the Americans, a major geopolitical shift that makes abandoning the red lines imperative for Britain's security and diplomatic relationships.

> could no longer rely on the Americans
## Why the timing matters now
Ward writes that the question of relying on America was unthinkable in two thousand sixteen but is unavoidable in two thousand twenty-six, making a full reappraisal of Britain's relationships urgent.

> That question was unthinkable in 2016, but it is unavoidable in 2026
## Red lines served their original purpose
Ward says the red lines were designed to close down debate and narrow Brexit as a target for Labour. The reset deal will show benefits can be delivered within them.
## New arguments needed for rejoining
Ward says supporters of rejoining should make arguments based on geopolitical shifts and security threats, not old economic arguments, to avoid repeating the result of two thousand sixteen.
## Burnham to meet European leaders
Andy Burnham will attend the European Political Community summit in Dublin on Thursday and meet European leaders to set out ambitions for further integration and closer EU ties.
## Reset deal and future options
At a Brexit reset meeting on twenty November in Brussels, the UK will sign new agreements on agriculture, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme. Burnham will then outline future relationship options.
## Key takeaway

Chris Ward, co-author of Labour's Brexit red lines, calls for them to be abandoned at the next election, citing new geopolitical threats and the need for closer EU ties.