- Former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband has called for a new institutionalised relationship between the UK and the European Union, characterising Brexit as a unilateral declaration of political impotence that has left Britain economically and politically weakened.
- Speaking to The Independent, Miliband highlighted growing European security threats, such as Russian aggression in Ukraine, to argue that geography matters and that the UK cannot afford to remain isolated from its European neighbours.
- Miliband criticised Sir Keir Starmer for lacking the vision needed to reset ties with Brussels, while expressing confidence that Andy Burnham would adopt a bolder approach to rebuilding relations with the EU.
- The intervention comes as Andy Burnham refused to rule out a potential pledge to reverse Brexit in Labour's next election manifesto, describing the decision as a question for another day.
- Miliband insisted that negotiating a new shared model with Brussels to address damage caused by leaving the EU Customs Union and Single Market is the cheapest way to boost the UK economy and strengthen European security.
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