Andy Burnham risks igniting a Cabinet rift over migration amid claims the Prime Minister was left “irritated” by John Healey’s comments over possibly rejoining the European Union.
The Prime Minister is prepared to throw Britain’s borders open to Brussels to get the Government’s “reset” deal over the line.
However, such a move is likely to anger Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who was forced to water down her migration crackdown just days ago amid fury from the backbenches.
Meanwhile, sources said Mr Burnham was left “irritated” by his Chancellor”s quip about Britain rejoining the EU in the coming years.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Mr Healey joked he did not “expect to see” a return to Brussels within his lifetime as he was older than the Prime Minister.
The comments came just days after Mr Bunrham said he would like to see Britain become a member state again, but insisted he would “not move ahead of the public”.
The Chancellor’s remarks had annoyed Mr Burnham amid fears Cabinet risked appearing divided ahead of the UK-EU summit, senior Whitehall sources told The i Paper.
One insider told the newspaper: “It is seen as unhelpful for the Cabinet to be seen as divided ahead of what are expected to be quite complex discussions.”
Another source, meanwhile, suggested Mr Healey “needs reigning in”.
“Few Labour MPs who want a long-term future in the Labour Party are likely to want to commit hari-kari over (closer ties with the EU) and I would put Shabana Mahmood and Healey into this category,” a senior Whitehall source said.
Mr Burnham is said to believe accepting the EU’s freedom of movement may be the key to unlocking meaningful concessions from Brussels.
However, the Prime Minister has not yet settled on offering to throw open Britain’s borders to the bloc.
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Yesterday, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Britain adopting the EU’s freedom of movement is “not negotiable” if it wishes to regain membership.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Barnier said it was “possible to negotiate” for Britain to enter into talks to rejoin the EU without adopting the Euro, usually a requirement for all new member states.
He said: “But what is, and what remains unnegotiable, is the condition to join the single market. There is no negotiation possible. No possible negotiation on any kind of cherry-picking or the single market ‘a la carte’.
“The UK knows quite perfectly the condition to be part of and to rejoin the single market and the customs union.”
Mr Barnier added: “As far as the freedom of movement is concerned, I can only repeat that the four freedoms are linked together and are not negotiable.”
However, a return to freedom of movement risks sparking public fury amid the Government’s pledge to slash migration.
Re-opening the borders to the bloc would inevitably increase the numbers of migrants coming to Britain, a senior Whitehall source said, unless the Government found another way to reduce the flow.
Leaked documents have suggested the EU could stop Mr Burnham from deporting migrant criminals as part of Labour’s reset deal.
The bloc’s demands have emerged within a draft statement prepared ahead of this month’s crunch summit.
The document, seen by Sky News, shows Brussels will demand Labour “commits not to proceed with… removals and deportations” of migrant criminals in Britain from member state countries.
The push comes after the Home Office was given the green light to deport migrant criminals once they are sentenced earlier this year.
The contents of the draft statement have yet to be signed off by the EU’s member states.
GB News has approached No10 for comment.
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