Andy Burnham must do three things to win next election but reversing Brexit isn’t one, Labour MP tells GB News

Andy Burnham should focus on delivering on three key areas rather than reversing Brexit to win the next election, a veteran Labour MP has told GB News.

Graham Stringer, who now sits as Labour's only openly pro-Brexit MP, spoke to The People's Channel about Mr Burnham's Brexit conundrum just hours before the Prime Minister arrived in Liverpool for his first Labour conference as leader.

The Blackley & Middleton South MP accused his pro-EU Labour colleagues of following a Brexit "illusion" instead of focusing on tackling the migrant crisis, cutting energy bills and creating more jobs.

"We were in the EU for 47 years, and we didn't improve our economic performance when we were in," Mr Stringer told GB News.

"There's no evidence that we would improve it now, and there would actually be a cost.

"What Labour's priorities should involve is looking at the fundamentals of the economy now.

"Reducing energy costs is the first thing, both domestically and industrially, because that's a drag on the economy.

"We're paying two or three times the price for our energy than elsewhere, so we need to open these gas and oil fields that we are looking at and search for others if there are others out there."

He added: "Sorting out the cost of illegal migrants would also be both politically popular and save a lot of money.

"We should also be focusing on creating more jobs, instead of peddling myths and fairy stories about Brexit."

Mr Burnham has argued Labour is already working hard to deliver on tackling small boat crossings, cutting energy bills and creating jobs.

Despite 781 small-boat migrants arriving in a single day this week, Labour points to crossings being 40 per cent lower so far this year than during the same period in 2025.

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Meanwhile, Mr Burnham secured a Brexit benefit after cutting VAT on energy bills to zero per cent.

But the Prime Minister also opened the door to including a pledge to rejoin the EU in Labour's next manifesto.

Mr Burnham, who admitted at last year's conference he would like to rejoin the EU in his lifetime, told reporters at the United Nations summit in New York that the question of including the commitment in his manifesto was "for another day".

He had promised to respect the result of the referendum while campaigning in the pro-Brexit seat of Makerfield in July's by-election.

However, the Prime Minister also discussed forging a closer relationship with the continental club after blaming Brexit for Britain's sluggish economic growth.

The Prime Minister this week argued the UK's departure from the EU has fuelled a surge in Channel crossings since 2018.

Other senior Labour figures have been openly discussing the prospect of rejoining the EU, claiming membership of the single market and customs union could provide a £6.5billion a year boost to the UK economy.

Supporters of closer ties argue that reducing trade barriers with the EU could help improve the UK's economic performance, although estimates of the potential benefit vary.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan have both said Labour should reapply to be a member of the Brussels bloc.

Ex-Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who once appointed Mr Stringer as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, also suggested the UK should look to rejoin a reformed EU within the next decade.

The debate also covers a range of options, from closer cooperation with Brussels to membership of the single market and customs union and, ultimately, full EU membership.

Meanwhile, polling conducted for the pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain found a pledge to rejoin the EU could give Labour a significant electoral boost, leaving Mr Burnham just five seats short of an absolute majority in its modelling.

But Mr Stringer argued the real threat is whether Labour will look to water down Brexit to pursue closer ties with the continental club.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Stringer said: "Any talk about going back in now is just signalling to voters who support the EU, but it's not real politics.

"I think that trying to sneak back in bit by bit by giving decisions to other countries is a major mistake.

"The reason for leaving the EU was so we could make our own decisions, good, bad, or indifferent, and handing over those decisions to other countries and mainly a bureaucracy would be a mistake and an economically damaging one.

"Some of the freedoms we find in the City of London, which is a huge part of our economy, have been good, the agricultural freedoms have been good, and we do not want to lose control of those freedoms."

Mr Stringer's warning came after Europe Minister Hamish Falconer revealed Labour will go "further and faster" to pursue closer cooperation with Brussels.

The UK is expected to align with EU food and agricultural standards while also striking deals on youth mobility, services and security.

But fears about Labour plotting to make a manifesto commitment to rejoin the EU continue to fuel fears among Brexiteers.

Opinion polls have shown a shift in attitudes since the 2016 referendum, with a June 2026 YouGov poll finding 55 per cent of Britons now support the UK rejoining the EU, compared with 34 per cent who opposed the move.

However, support for rejoining the bloc drops to 35 per cent if it means giving up the UK's previous opt-outs, while 43 per cent would rather stay out of the Brussels bloc.

The figures suggest that public views vary significantly depending on the terms attached to any potential return to the EU.

Mr Stringer insisted Labour would need to hold a referendum to overturn the 2016 result and hinted Britons would likely vote to stay out of the EU.

The veteran Labour MP told GB News: "The only legitimate way to reverse the decision of the referendum is to have another referendum. Nobody wants that.

"While there is some evidence of voter regret, because the country is not doing as well as we would wish, most of that is not related to the EU."