Burnham says Britons would expect him to take up new EU deal 'with both hands'

The public will expect the government to grab “with both hands” the opportunity to boost economic growth through closer trade ties with the EU, Andy Burnham has said.

The prime minister defended plans to accept a new agreement with Brussels that would remove checks on imported and exported food and agricultural products as part of a new post-Brexit deal.

Asked whether he believed it was acceptable for the UK to have its rules on food trade made by the EU without any input, Mr Burnham said: “What’s facing me two weeks on Friday is a UK-EU summit where I have the opportunity to add to UK growth.

“It’s estimated up to 0.4% extra on GDP.

“I think people in Britain would expect me to take that with both hands, given where we’ve been in recent times, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Mr Burnham is set to agree to align the UK with EU standards on food and drink in a bid to end border checks.

A Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) trade deal, drafted by the EU side, suggests that much of the so-called Brexit red tape around food and drink could be removed. This could affect goods such as sausages, cheese and flowers.

The deal, reportedly set to be signed at the end of this month, will also allow passports for UK pets taken into the EU to resume for the first time since the UK left the bloc.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, the prime minister said: “We’re not in the EU, therefore, we do have to work with them in a different way.

“But if that can get growth, if that can help our farmers, if that can remove red tape from British businesses, I think most people would expect me to go to that summit and negotiate the best deal that I can.”

Earlier, he said a new deal could add billions more to the UK economy than previously suggested, accusing opponents of “misreading the public mood” over Brexit.

The prime minister told The Economist magazine that the Treasury had confirmed in recent days that agreements under negotiation could raise GDP by 0.4% – up from the previous estimate of 0.3%.

He has told ministers that the period beyond the summit would be to “explore options” for the long-term relationship that will eventually be put to the public.

And he said he had sensed since the Labour conference that there was an appetite to discuss the UK’s relationship with the EU, but last month he promised the public would “be the boss” hinting at a future second referendum on EU membership.

As he seeks closer ties with the EU and to limit the damage caused by Brexit, Mr Burnham wants to lock in deals on food and drink, emissions trading and a youth mobility scheme at a Brussels summit on 20 November.

In a sign that a food and agriculture deal is almost finalised, a draft text has been circulated among the 27 EU members, the BBC reported, along with similar documents on the emissions trading and youth mobility plans.

Under his £450m plan to for the UK to have access to the EU’s new Made in Europe industrial programme university fees for EU students could be reduced to the same level as British students pay.

He has already made clear that at this month’s summit in Brussels he plans to push for a Brexit reset aimed at improving relations with the bloc with a focus on growth, immigration and security.