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Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street Andy Burnham and his chief of staff James Purnell share rare history at Westminster. Both were cabinet ministers in the days of New Labour, when the UK was a leading member of the EU and secretaries of state could pick up the phone to their opposite numbers on the Continent. With both men back at the top of politics, Britain now has, for the first time in a decade, a No 10 team that has fond memories of dealing with the EU as partners rather than opponents.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising that this Prime Minister thinks Brexit has been a disaster and is comfortable saying so, as he eyes closer ties with the bloc. When it comes to the government beyond Downing Street, the cabinet leans pro-European. But even so, a number of senior ministers are highly sceptical about Burnham’s decision to open up the issue.
One cabinet minister describes it as “a minefield”. Like the country at large, most believe Brexit to have been a mistake yet they flinch at “reopening” the debate. So why is the PM doing it?
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Source: New Statesman
