Burnham agrees to align with EU standards to end border checks
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to align with EU food and drink standards to eliminate border checks.
- The deal will allow the resumption of exports for items like sausages, burgers, and seed potatoes.
- UK pet passports will be reinstated for travel to the EU for the first time since Brexit.
- The agreement removes significant costs, including £200 Export Health Certificates and various inspection fees.
- Burnham has ruled out returning to the single market or free movement during this Parliament.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to align with EU food and drink standards to eliminate border checks, according to a draft deal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Prime Minister met to discuss the agreement, which is scheduled for signing by the end of November 2026.
The draft deal between the UK and the EU includes an agreement to align with EU food and drink standards to eliminate border checks. The deal is designed to end border checks for fresh goods.
Prime Minister Burnham has a professional background in finance and retail, including a tenure at Boots UK and a current role at Next. These previous positions involved implementing SAP S4 at Walgreens and a finance transformation project at Next. The company is currently hiring a finance transformation change lead to work with him at their Leicestershire headquarters.
Resumption of exports and removal of trade costs
The deal permits the reinstatement of pet passports for UK animals travelling to the European Union for the first time since the country left the bloc.
The agreement eliminates the need for £200 Export Health Certificates and £25 Phytosanitary certificates. The agreement eliminates various other costs such as inspector, organic, port, and sampling fees.
Approximately 70,000 UK businesses have ceased trading with the European Union because of the additional red tape caused by Brexit.
Unpicking the original Brexit deal
The decision to align with European Union rules constitutes a significant concession. It effectively unpicks the original trade framework negotiated by Boris Johnson.
While the United Kingdom remains mostly aligned with European Union rules, England has diverged in specific areas. This includes the "precision breeding" of plants, which was previously known as gene editing.
Burnham rules out return to freedom of movement
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has distanced himself from previous suggestions of restoring the freedom of movement. He faces opposition on the matter from Labour MPs and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
In an ITV interview airing on Tuesday, Mr Burnham said, "I have not proposed freedom of movement coming back". He has appeared to backtrack on his previous aspirations to restore the free movement of people.
Mr Burnham stated that the topic will be part of "an honest" discussion regarding the future relationship between the UK and the European Union. He remains committed to maintaining the Labour manifesto red lines for the duration of this Parliament. These red lines rule out any return to the customs union, the single market, or the freedom of movement.
Government strategy on future EU relations
The Prime Minister claimed the current immigration situation led to more illegal migration because the UK cannot share data with European partners anymore. Regarding Brexit, Mr Burnham said, "I think public opinion has changed nationally".
The Prime Minister has instructed his cabinet members to avoid publicly endorsing specific options for the future relationship between the UK and the European Union.
Brussels planning for UK concessions
The European Union is currently drafting plans to offer the United Kingdom two major concessions, according to reporting by the Express on 2 November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Andy Burnham to make major Brexit concession on border checks | The Independent (independent.co.uk)
- Andy Burnham's Brexit betrayal moves step closer as EU plots for Britain to rejoin (express.co.uk)
- UK and EU agree draft deal to scrap Brexit red tape over food exports - BBC News (bbc.co.uk)
- Andy Burnham (linkedin.com)
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