𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

This is the video Andy Burnham does not want you to see. Following days of confusion in No 10 after the Prime Minister appeared to call for the UK to sign back up to Freedom of Movement, it turns out he once had pretty strong views on the topic back in 2016. Mr Burnham caused a stir over the weekend after he said that Freedom of Movement with the European Union would be on the table in negotiations. He is due to meet eurocrats next month at a major summit and has urged an “honest” conversation on the UK’s future relationship with the bloc.

He sparked fury from Brexiteers, including Nigel Farage, who accused him of a Brexit “betrayal” – with the Reform UK leader saying he was ready to fight against the EU once again. Yet now a video has resurfaced showing Mr Burnham boldly declaring the scheme as one which was “defeated at the ballot box”.

Then serving as MP for Leigh, before he left to become Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham delivered a passionate speech slamming the European scheme. He said that it “has made life more difficult in places where it is already hardest”. Despite voting to Remain, and then demanding a second referendum after he lost, he took the time to tell his Left-wing colleagues not to betray Leave voters in Greater Manchester.

Mr Burnham said: “Free movement has arguably been providing greater benefit to large companies than it has to the most deprived communities. There is nothing socialist about a system of open borders that allows multinationals to treat people as commodities and move them around Europe to drive down labour costs and create a race to the bottom.”

The clip has resurfaced to much ridicule online after Mr Burnham, now Prime Minister, backed Freedom of Movement and said it was his personal ambition to see the country rejoin the EU “in my lifetime”.

A former Labour MP, Simon Danczuk, said online: “Burnham’s principles are like buses, give it time you get three different ones in quick succession.”

He added: “Note he’s against free movement in Dec 2016 cause he’s about to stand for Manchester Mayor. When Mayor he’s pro-EU. When Makerfield candidate he’s anti. Now he’s back in favour…”

Joining the pile on was veteran Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said: “To think that the Prime Minister used to be so strongly against free movement of people in the EU as it was bad for his constituents. Is Leigh that far from Makerfield? (No, part of Leigh went into Makerfield in the last boundary changes).”

No 10 on Monday distanced itself from the call for a referendum on the topic, saying Mr Burnham had not promised one despite the Prime Minister telling reporters just minutes before that he would not drag the UK back into the scheme without such a vote.