Burnham: UK lost more than it gained from Brexit, will seek new EU deal
At the Welsh Labour conference he said planned Brussels agreements on food, emissions and youth mobility could raise GDP by 0.4% (about £17 billion).
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom has "lost more than it gained" from leaving the European Union, blaming the Conservative Party for severing ties with the bloc and imposing a much tougher divorce than voters approved in the 2016 referendum.
Speaking at the Welsh Labour conference, Burnham said his government must take difficult decisions to ease the cost-of-living squeeze and announced he will press for a new agreement on food and agriculture at an upcoming summit with European leaders next week.
Economic impact and the Brussels agenda
Burnham said the deals he hopes to secure in Brussels — covering food and agriculture, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme — would lift UK GDP by 0.4 percent, equivalent to roughly £17 billion.
He argued such an arrangement would lower food prices at home and expand opportunities for British exporters, singling out Welsh farmers and exporters of shellfish and lamb as likely beneficiaries.
In addition to the immediate package he plans to pursue, Burnham said his government will explore options for a different long-term relationship with the European Union.
Photo: Fejsbuk)
