Andy Burnham pushes for deal to hand EU judges power over Britain as part of new migration pact

Andy Burnham is planning to strike a deal to cede power over the UK to EU judges as part of a new migration pact.

The move would be considered a major blow to the 2016 Brexit vote as Boris Johnson made "taking back control" a cornerstone of the Leave campaign.

The subsequent Brexit deal was proof that sovereignty was being restored to Westminster, dragging power back to British judges.

Previously, Mr Burnham blamed leaving the bloc for the rise in small boat crossings.

After weeks of soft-launching his bid to rejoin the EU, Mr Burnham is now eyeing up an agreement with Strasbourg whereby the UK can access databases of asylum seekers and criminals.

But, in exchange, EU officials said that the UK must buckle to oversight from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) - as well as cough up an extra fee to do so, The Telegraph revealed.

Alex Burghart, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: "I warned of exactly this a few weeks ago.

"Labour’s EU Reset treats a closer relationship with Brussels as a panacea, while ignoring the very real trade-offs it would bring for farmers, fishermen and taxpayers.

"If access to EU databases means handing over taxpayers’ money and accepting ECJ oversight, Labour must explain the price," he told The Telegraph.

"You cannot put a price on sovereignty."

EU crime and immigration databases have been off-limits to British officials since leaving the EU.

Among them is Eurodac, the database that stores migrants' fingerprints and the EU state to which they belong, which the UK lost access to after Brexit.

The Schengen Information System is also off-limits, which issues crime alerts, including migrants wanted across the bloc for deportation.

Earlier this week, Mr Burnham said Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, was open to a pact ahead of an EU summit next month.

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He said: "That is something that Britain has long sought in the decade since Brexit. It is the control that we lost, actually, at the time of the referendum.

"It is one issue that does not get enough attention and it should get more. I will work hard to see if we can get a practical arrangement on that very issue at the summit in November."

A source explained to The Telegraph that Britain would have to foot the bill of linking the databases, and reiterated that the European Court would become the "final arbiter" of legal cases related to asylum.

However, Whitehall insiders refuted claims surrounding ECJ taking back control.

A Government spokesman said: "We are building an ambitious, close relationship with the EU that will secure our borders, bolster collective security, and keep our citizens safe."

Last month, Mr Burnham blamed Brexit for damaging the Government's ability to stop illegal migrants crossing the Channel.

The Prime Minister lamented the "loss of collaboration with neighbours" ever since the UK left the EU at the start of 2020.

Grilled on why Shabana Mahmood's department continues to be embattled with the ongoing crisis, Mr Burnham attempted to excuse his team's record.

"I do point to the loss of collaboration with neighbours that came with Brexit," he told BBC South East. "That hasn’t helped.

"We had a more cooperative system, if you like, in the past, so we are not able to have the same levels of collaboration that we used to have, but I don’t put that forward as a reason why we won’t keep working until we get the crossings right down."

But Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, branded Mr Burnham's claim as "total nonsense".

"Andy Burnham is gaslighting us all to hide his own failures, with over 1,000 illegal immigrants coming in this week alone," he fumed.

The Prime Minister, who promised voters in Brexit-backing Makerfield he would not try to return Britain to the EU in May, told GB News rejoining the bloc is one of the options he is considering for London's long-term relationship with Brussels.

Mr Burnham said he could not “leave Britain out” of discussions about Britain's future relationship with the EU and insisted he had to consider all options.

Labour's 2024 manifesto also ruled out returning to the EU, single market or customs union and restoring freedom of movement.