Plus: Why hosting dignitaries at No 10 North is the PM’s shrewdest move yet
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Athena Stavrou, Political Reporter
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Athena Stavrou, Political Reporter
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Burnham's pitch to the EU |
It's been a big day for No 10 North as the prime minister welcomed the first international leader to the office.
Andy Burnham met his Irish counterpart Micheál Martin on Friday, in a meeting he used to push for deeper ties between the UK and the European Union.
Striking a similar tone to his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, the new prime minister expressed his desire to "deepen the relationship" with the bloc after Brexit.
Mr Martin said he looked forward to the UK having a “stronger and closer” relationship with the EU.
Mr Burnham has previously said he wants to be “bolder” than Sir Keir in resetting relations, but has also vowed to honour Labour’s so-called ‘red lines’.
But with support for rejoining the European Union at its highest level since the Brexit vote, he is right to strive for closer ties with Brussels.
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Beneath the scary rate rises, key indicators for the UK economy are actually surprisingly strong, writes James Moore
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Hosting foreign dignitaries at No 10 North is Burnham’s shrewdest move yet
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John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator
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John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator
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Since coming to office, our stay-at-home prime minister has entertained his Irish counterpart in Manchester, Mark Carney in Liverpool, Mark Rutte in Oxford and Volodymyr Zelensky in Portsmouth. Mr Burnham is taking his pledge to level up the regions seriously.
I am not a fan of devolution, but to turn foreign policy into an advert for it is a stroke of genius. It can be derided as symbolism and "vibes", but symbolism and vibes is so much of what politics is about. That is why Mr Burnham outscored rival party leaders on being “likeable”, “sensible”, “competent” and “in touch” in a striking opinion poll this month.
Devolution is working for him, and will go on doing so – at least until the hard choices in the Budget at the end of next month.
Read the whole thing here.
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