- Former Prime Minister Lord Cameron has cautioned Andy Burnham against launching a “long and painful decade-long debate” on whether the UK should rejoin the European Union, urging a focus instead on being a strong partner.
- The warning comes as Andy Burnham prepares to meet EU leaders in Brussels to sign agreements on agriculture, emissions trading, and a youth mobility scheme, which he claims could boost British GDP by 0.4 per cent.
- Lord Cameron argued that flirting with rejoining the bloc risks damaging current negotiations for a better deal, as EU member states might refrain from committing to a stronger partnership.
- Dismissing claims that Brexit is the main cause of the UK's economic struggles, Lord Cameron attributed the nation's financial issues to domestic factors such as overspending, high taxation, over-regulation, and welfare costs.
- The debate over future UK-EU relations follows warnings from former EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who stated that there will be no cherry picking for the UK when pursuing deeper ties.
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