British officials have begun discussions with the EU about a long-term relationship that could include a return to free movement, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said, while emphasizing that the British people would ultimately decide what the UK accepts. Reynolds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the immediate focus for British negotiations was an EU summit in November to seal an agreement to ease trading restrictions and a youth mobility deal. However, he said prime minister Andy Burnham had made clear he wanted to explore a long-term and stable relationship with the bloc beyond those immediate negotiations.
Reynolds said the discussions would examine "what the future options for our relationship might be", but stressed that the November summit remained the priority. He said the changes announced there, including a food and drink deal and an emissions trading agreement, would make a significant difference. Reynolds added that Burnham would outline the options available and be "frank with the British people about what the trade-offs are" once the summit concluded.
No decision would be made without voters having a say, Reynolds said, though he did not specify whether this would occur through a general election or a referendum. "No assumptions have been made on this. The British people are the people who will decide this. They're the boss on this," he stated. The prospect has already drawn criticism from Labour backbenchers representing heavily pro-Brexit seats in the north and Midlands. Melanie Onn, the Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, urged caution, saying she was concerned about reopening divisive debates. "I don't think that the scars have healed for many people around the country," she told Today.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was strongly critical of the discussions, saying it would be "very, very poor indeed" to begin discussing freedom of movement. He pointed out that Burnham had promised two and a half years ago not to re-enter the single market or customs union, and said the current prime minister had "no mandate" to pursue such talks. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Burnham has previously suggested that accepting free movement and rejoining the single market could be done without another referendum if Labour included it in its manifesto, though fully rejoining would require an in-out poll.
Burnham acknowledged that free movement had "very significant challenges associated with it" but argued that migration patterns have changed since the original Brexit debate. He said revolving-door migration, where people would come and then leave, was different from current migration flows. "I think we've just got to have an honest discussion about those things," he said. The government's willingness to explore free movement marks a significant shift from the firm red lines established during earlier EU negotiations.
For businesses and workers in the UK, any eventual agreement on free movement could alter hiring practices, employment mobility across EU countries and immigration policy, depending on what voters ultimately decide when given the choice.