A row has broken out at the top of the Labour party over whether Britain should try to rejoin the EU after Wes Streeting said the country should eventually seek to regain membership.
Streeting, who resigned as health secretary on Thursday in protest at Keir Starmer’s leadership, kicked off a war of words after he argued on Saturday that Britain’s future lay back in the EU.
After the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, dismissed his comments as odd, Streeting’s allies hit back, saying the government’s lack of willingness to discuss the issue was symptomatic of why it is so unpopular.
On Saturday, Andy Burnham – who is expected to seek to replace Starmer as prime minister if he wins the Makerfield byelection – said he thought there was a “long-term case” for rejoining the EU, but added: “I’m not advocating that in this byelection.”
The row is an indication of the divisions within Labour as the party heads into the Makerfield contest that could determine the fate of the entire government.
It began when Streeting said: “In 2026, the British people increasingly see that in a dangerous world we must club together, both to rebuild our economy and trade, and improve our defence against the shared threats from Russian aggression and America First.
“The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep. We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union.”
He also said he intended to stand in a leadership contest if one was triggered, as is likely if Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, wins in Makerfield.
Nandy, however, criticised Streeting’s comments on Sunday. She told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I actually think this is just a bit odd. I listened to what Wes had to say very carefully yesterday, and I know that he’s got a strong view about this, and always has had, that we shouldn’t have left the European Union.
“Frankly, that’s one that I share. I campaigned for remain, I think it [Brexit] was a mistake, and I think the Brexit deal has been a real problem for us. But I don’t really understand why the sudden focus on Europe.
“We’re already, as a government, trying to repair in a pragmatic way the needless damage that was done by that poor Brexit deal to people’s living standards in towns like mine, without reopening the circular arguments that we ended up in as a country.”
Streeting allies promptly hit back, saying Nandy’s unwillingness to talk about EU membership was a symptom of a wider reluctance to take political risks, which they argue is one of the reasons Starmer is so unpopular and may face a leadership battle within weeks.
“There is no point in trying not to upset anybody, that’s what got us into this problem,” said one. “Sometimes you have to be willing to upset people to get things done.”
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, said the row was a “sign of the Labour party that does not have a plan for the country”. She added: “They want to go back and refight wars which were settled a long time ago.”
The argument is part of a broader policy discussion which Labour has started after just less than two years in office, as the various potential leadership candidates begin to set out their visions.
Burnham’s allies said the Manchester mayor was willing to make the case for EU membership, but that he was not planning to make it part of his campaign in Makerfield.
“Who benefits most from being in a single market or the EU? Places outside London and the south-east that make things or build things,” said one.
“There is a big argument about who would benefit from rejoining … but right now I don’t think it’s very important to the vast majority of people.”
Burnham declared his intention to stand for Makerfield last week on an explicit promise to challenge Starmer for his position should he win. He made the announcement after days of resignations from government and calls from Labour MPs for the prime minister to stand down, leaving his premiership more precarious than ever.
Burnham has not yet been selected as the candidate in Makerfield, but he has won permission from Labour’s ruling national executive committee, removing the main obstacle to him standing. He is expected to be confirmed as the candidate next week, kickstarting a month-long process that could decide who will be in Downing Street by end of the summer.
His allies say he would seek to change government policy if elected, focusing particularly on the cost of living and how major utility companies are run.
Josh Simons, the Labour MP who is vacating the Makerfield seat to make way for his ally, suggested on Sunday that taking public ownership of utilities could be an important part of his pitch to voters. “Energy, water, social housing – those things that are the basics of our lives that we all depend on – have gotten so expensive,” he told the BBC.
“And one of the reasons why they’ve gotten so expensive – not the only, but one of the reasons why they’ve gotten so expensive – is that we privatised a lot of them, and often the bills that we pay go to the shareholders.”
Starmer’s allies say he has not given up hope of remaining in office, insisting he will enter a leadership race if it is triggered.
Asked on Sunday whether she thought Starmer would run in a leadership contest, Nandy said: “He said he will … I haven’t spoken to him this weekend, but I’ve spoken to him several times over the last week, and obviously he’s shown before that he’s up for a fight.”