Labour’s tentative reopening of the European Union question has exposed a political fault line running through its northern heartlands, with MPs warning that renewed Brexit debate could alienate voters the party can ill afford to lose.
Andy Burnham, in his first conference speech as Labour leader, said he would consider applying for Britain to rejoin the bloc.
The position risks colliding with a promise he made to voters in his Leave-voting Makerfield seat not to reopen the Brexit debate.
Red Wall MPs have urged the government to draw a line under the issue, arguing that repeated attempts to revisit the 2016 referendum would undermine trust in politicians and give Reform UK an opportunity to make further gains across the North and Midlands.
“We cannot keep holding referendums every few years, playing a sort of Brexit Hokey Cokey,” Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool, told The Telegraph. “The British people made their decision. That question is settled, and it’s time to move forward.”
Brash nevertheless argued that Britain should seek a better relationship with Brussels, describing Boris Johnson’s Brexit agreement as “botched” and calling for arrangements that would support growth, jobs and opportunity.
David Smith, MP for North Northumberland, said that although he had voted Remain, the referendum result had to be accepted as a generational democratic decision.
The warnings reflect Labour’s electoral dilemma. Many constituencies across the industrial North and Midlands voted heavily to leave the EU in 2016, including Doncaster North, represented by former Labour leader Ed Miliband. Boris Johnson capitalised on those divisions in 2019, winning seats that had long been considered Labour strongholds with his promise to “get Brexit done”.
Reform UK is now seeking to build on that political realignment, making Labour’s stance on Europe a potentially sensitive issue in constituencies where voters remain sceptical of Westminster.
Great Grimsby MP Melanie Onn has dismissed calls for a second referendum, while frontbenchers Jonathan Reynolds and Lisa Nandy have also cautioned against reigniting the debate.
For Labour, the challenge is to improve economic ties with Europe without appearing to disregard the referendum result. Reopening the question of membership could appeal to some voters and businesses, but risks reviving a division that helped reshape British politics.
In the Red Wall, where electoral loyalties have already shifted dramatically, the cost of getting that balance wrong could be substantial.
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