Burnham rules out early election and EU rejoin push in this parliament

Andy Burnham ruled out an early general election, saying there is no vote coming soon, and said he would not propose rejoining the European Union in this Parliament. He said he would like Britain to return to the EU in his lifetime but that the public must decide, while his immediate focus is improving the Brexit arrangements. Burnham argued Brexit weakened the economy and immigration control, and that the UK’s inability to return migrants to Europe contributed to the small-boats crisis. Polling expert John Curtice cautioned that an early election would be a gamble: Labour’s reported seven-point lead might not secure a Commons majority, particularly given weaker support in Scotland, and he said the polls would need to hold for several months before an election was considered.