Ten years after the Brexit referendum, Europe is back at the centre of Westminster politics. Andy Burnham is preparing for major EU summits in Dublin and Brussels, hoping to forge a closer relationship with Britain’s European neighbours - but his ambitions are already exposing tensions inside his Cabinet and reopening Labour’s most politically dangerous argument. With the UK facing a long-term productivity and trade hit from Brexit, the question is no longer simply whether the EU matters, but whether Britain can improve its position without breaking promises made to Leave-voting communities.
This week, Helen and Cleo ask what Britain could realistically gain from a closer EU relationship, why Burnham’s approach is proving so difficult, and who in Whitehall actually holds the pen. They examine the mixed messages from ministers, the limits of “cherry-picking” access to the single market, and why rejoining - or even negotiating a better deal - would take years rather than days. They also ask whether Burnham’s instinct to float big ideas is creating a familiar pattern of confusion, Cabinet division, and political traps of his own making.