The Express understands Andy Burnham has retreated from his position on rejoining the European Union after a backlash that threatened to derail his by-election campaign before it had properly begun, The Telegraph has reported.
It is not the first time Mr Burnham has flagged his sympathies with the idea of EU membership; his camp had given every impression over the weekend that this remained his view. But on Sunday, a spokesman for the Mayor of Greater Manchester was said to have moved to distance him from the issue, insisting he would be contesting the expected 18 June vote in Makerfield on local issues rather than a "national manifesto."
"Andy is fully focused on working hard for every vote in Makerfield so he can represent them in Parliament," the spokesman reportedly said. "Andy is not standing on a national manifesto at this election; he is standing to make a difference for the people of Makerfield and to bring the change he has delivered in Greater Manchester to the national stage."
The practical effect of Sunday's alleged repositioning is that Brexit will not feature as a campaign issue for Mr Burnham in a seat where Leave sentiment ran strong in 2016, despite him having said last year: "I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin the European Union."
According to The Telegraph, the climb-down came a day after fellow leadership contender Wes Streeting placed the EU firmly at the centre of his campaign, telling supporters on Saturday: "The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep. We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain's future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union."
Some in Westminster read the timing of Mr Streeting's remarks as deliberate - a way of putting Mr Burnham on the back foot in a Leave-voting constituency by drawing attention to his own record on Europe.
Reform UK wasted no time, seizing on the comments on Saturday to declare that the by-election would effectively serve as a referendum on Brexit. The party is expected to make "Brexit betrayal" a central attack line in Makerfield and has said it will feature Mr Burnham's previous pro-EU remarks on its campaign leaflets.
Farage went further, telling The Telegraph: "'Open borders Burnham' wants to give 500 million people the right to move here without any thought on how this would affect schools, doctors and dentists. It's quite clear that this by-election is now a choice between Reform, who want to stay outside of the EU, control immigration and deport all illegals, and Labour, who want to rejoin the EU and open the borders."
The row drew a swift rebuke from within Labour's own ranks. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised Mr Streeting on Sunday morning for "reopening the Brexit wars." Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, she said: "I actually think this is just a bit odd. I listened to what Wes had to say very carefully yesterday, and I know that he's got a strong view about this, and always has had, that we shouldn't have left the European Union… I don't really understand why the sudden focus on Europe."
On Sky News, Ms Nandy said the Government had been working on "a far more pragmatic approach to bringing us closer to Europe and repairing some of the damage that was done from a poor Brexit deal to people's living standards in parts of the country like mine, rather than reopening the Brexit wars."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the calls to rejoin demonstrated that Labour "does not have a plan for this country." She said: "The country wants us to make the best of Brexit, make the best of leaving the EU. The idea of starting again, going backwards, having all of these negotiations — this is a sign of a Labour party that does not have a plan for the country. So they want to go back and re-fight wars which were settled a long time ago."
