Brexit ‘a massive fraud’, Picardo says as he backs Burnham

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has publicly backed Andy Burnham over closer links between the UK and the EU, describing Brexit as “a massive fraud” and suggesting the issue could “once again be before the British people”.

Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Picardo praised Andy Burnham for having the “balls to tell the truth” about what a mistake Brexit was.

Mr Picardo was speaking a day before former chancellor Rachel Reeves backed the Prime Minister’s stance on potentially deepening ties with the EU, saying Brexit had made the UK “poorer, weaker and less secure”.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the Labour former Cabinet minister said she welcomes “Andy Burnham’s leadership” after remarks made by the Prime Minister in recent days fuelled questions about the prospect of Britain returning to the bloc or adopting its freedom of movement rules.

Mr Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at a summit with the bloc next month, but told ministers that the period beyond that would be to “explore options” for the long-term relationship.

The Prime Minister has twice refused to rule out a second referendum.

“I was very pleased to hear Andy Burnham say what he said about the European Union,” Mr Picardo told Th Mirror..

“At last, we have a Prime Minister with the balls to tell the truth to the British people about what a mistake Brexit was and why it needs to be looked at again.”

Mr Picardo said Brexit had been more about politicians advancing their careers than about the British people and economy.

“It gives me hope that the UK is going to revisit what was undoubtedly a result procured by a massive fraud perpetrated on the British electorate by a small part of the British political class that cared more about its own political progress through the greasy pole of Westminster than it did about the things that really matter to the British public and the British people and the growth of the British economy,” he said.

“I am very pleased to see that, either through a referendum or through a very clear manifesto commitment, the issue will once again be before the British people for determination.”

Mr Burnham believes a stronger relationship with the EU is in national interest and that the Brexit deal is not good enough.

The PM's reopening of the Brexit debate has raised suggestions Britain could rejoin the EU, though Mr Burnham insists there is no certainty Labour will propose the move in the next general election manifesto.

He has previously claimed the debate is about being "honest" and that Britain needs to "settle its long-term relationship with Europe".

New polling suggests the majority of British people support applying to rejoin the EU.

An Ipsos poll found 56% said they would vote to apply to join if there was a referendum, while 30% would vote to stay out and the balance was undecided.

Mr Picardo told the newspaper that he had “no concerns whatsoever” about arguments from Reform or the Tories against a return to the EU.

“The idea that you cannot put different options a decade later is for the birds,” the Chief Minister said.

“We put different options before the British people every five years when we ask them to vote for different governments.”

“The idea that they cannot change their minds a decade later, when we constantly ask them to give us their opinion every half-decade on who should be the government, is utterly nonsensical and could only come from the mouths of those who are nervous that the fraud that they perpetrated on the British people may be found out.”

In her column in The Times, Ms Reeves, who was sacked as chancellor by Andy Burnham when he took office, said she was “…proud of the progress we have already made in strengthening our relationship with the European Union.”

“Brexit has made us poorer, weaker and less secure.”

“There is a debate to be had about our future relationship with Europe, and I welcome Andy Burnham’s leadership in facing up to this.”

“No one in the Treasury ever doubted where my instincts were.”

Although Ms Reeves said she believed “Britain’s future lies in the European Union”, she stressed it was “incumbent on supporters of our re-entry to make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right”.

Any options on Britain’s future relationship with Brussels will eventually be put to the public, but the Prime Minister earlier this week warned individual ministers it would not be appropriate “to advocate for specific options or opine on the likely outcome of the process”.

In a letter to his Cabinet, Mr Burnham said any “fundamental change” to post-Brexit arrangements would be “for the public to decide” and left to the next parliament.

PA contributed reporting to this article.