Why Burnham’s Cabinet can’t agree on Britain’s future in Europe

Résumé détaillé

There are signs the government will go quiet on rejoining once the ink is dry on the Brexit reset deal because there is no point talking about Europe's future until after the…

When Andy Burnham swaps his favoured T-shirt for white tie and tails for a Mansion House dinner on Monday, Europe will be a key theme.

That’s because the Prime Minister’s annual foreign policy speech will be sandwiched between his attendance at the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Dublin and a make-or-break Brussels summit next week.

While the EPC is an informal assembly of European leaders to hold political and strategic discussions on a wide range of topical subjects, the formal meeting with European leaders is crunch time for the UK’s relationship with the bloc.

The twice-delayed UK-EU in Brussels is set to seal deals on a youth mobility programme, an agrifood deal, and linking emissions markets.

Britain is also seeking access to the EU’s “Made in Europe” drive. Details are still being thrashed out – while a UK Government source said the deal is “95 per cent done”, one sticking point is on cutting university fees for European nationals. Continental leaders want their students to enjoy the same cost of tuition as Britons.

“There could be a significant prize next week if we successfully secure practical agreements that make the country better off,” Burnham told his Cabinet on Tuesday, the Government said in its official readout.

On Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham said he was focused first on a deal that could add 0.4 per cent to GDP. “Any growth on that scale is worth taking,” he said.

With European leaders keen – at least publicly – to make the summit a success, both sides will almost certainly claim victory at the end of next week.

While several EU countries still want a final deal on tuition fees in time for the meeting, they all are united in wanting a joint statement to include tougher language to bind the UK’s hands on the issue.

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