Brexit Row: UK PM Burnham's Shock U-turn On Russia's Role In Vote Sparks Fresh Political Firestorm

Mr. Speaker, in New York, I also had a positive meeting with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the forthcoming UK-EU summit. I can confirm to the House today that it will take place in Brussels on the 20th of November. This summit presents an opportunity to make progress on two crucial issues, boosting UK growth and controlling illegal immigration. On the table is a trade deal on food and drink products, a deal on emissions trading, progress towards linking our energy systems, a new youth experience scheme and deeper cooperation on immigration. The summit will also be an opportunity to raise our concerns about Made in Europe and it is clear to me that there is an opportunity to make progress in all of these areas. Together, these deals will add the equivalent of over £10 billion per year to the UK economy by 2040, with the potential to add significantly more. We should not turn our backs on this opportunity, Mr Speaker, and I hope all sides of this House will get behind the Government's efforts to land a positive outcome. On immigration, we could link up our law enforcement efforts once again, sharing more data and criminal records of foreign nationals as well as faster electronic evidence from the phones of those behind the gangs. Mr Speaker, it is in Britain's interest to secure a deal along these lines and I will work hard over the next five weeks to achieve it. I believe our chances of doing so will be enhanced by being open to a discussion about our relationship with the EU in the longer term. If we are serious, if we are serious about promoting growth, controlling immigration, upholding our values and security, it is a conversation we must have. Sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain. Worse, it would be a major dereliction of duty to turn away. We need to take a calm, clear-eyed, rational look at the world as it is today to consider what is best for our country. Our immediate priority is securing a successful outcome at the summit and I believe we should then set up a serious dialogue about the different options for our relationship in the long term. At every stage, the British public will be the boss and I am clear that public opinion currently supports a pragmatic approach approach like the one I am suggesting. But if we go into this further phase, we will proceed with care and complete transparency. Mr Speaker, this is the leadership we need to draw a line on a decade of drift and division and take the country forward. So what has the Prime Minister chosen to focus on today? Brexit. His exact words earlier this year were the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments and yet here he is unpicking the deal this country signed with the EU a decade after the referendum he is not going to get a better deal the EU are tough negotiators and Mr Speaker it's not just that the EU are tough negotiators he has already revealed his entire negotiating hand he has just blurted out everything he wants in this statement and i will tell you tell him now mr speaker as a former trade secretary this is not how you conduct negotiations over the weekend over the weekend but he told them he saw them everything and they haven't even started unbelievable over the weekend on the rest is politics podcast he implied that the referendum result was illegitimate because of Russian interference. Where has this come from? We all remember in 2018, the head of MI5 said that there was no evidence that Russia had influenced the EU referendum result. Even this morning, his own foreign minister could not say if the evidence existed. So will he confirm here and now whether he believes the referendum result was legitimate? And if not, will he publish the evidence that Russia swung the results of the 2016 referendum. From my perspective, Mr Speaker, this is just another example of him trying to distract the country rather than solve the immediate challenges. And just like some people thought all of Britain's problems would be solved by leaving the EU, some now think all our problems will be resolved by rejoining. Neither of these are serious positions. This is lazy thinking from people who don't have solutions to the real problems we face she can i just address the point that she said i implied no such thing in my comments on the Rest Is Politics podcast i think she should go back and and look again it is a matter of record mr speaker that russian actors sought to interfere in the 29 general election and we think it is inconceivable that this was the first time. But I say this to the people, this is the Prime Minister speaking, I am very wary about reopening the whole Brexit wars, years of harrowing negotiations, an even worse deal, and I give this absolute commitment that I would not seek to join the EU unless there was a general election first, and I offer the British people a full referendum. Prime Minister. Can I say to the Father of the House that I stand by every single one of those words? I am not reopening the referendum. I respect the referendum results, as I have just said a moment ago. But what I will do is take a pragmatic approach when I can boost growth in the British economy, when I can increase cooperation to get a grip on the boat crossings across the Channel. I will do those things where I believe they can be in the country's best interests. And the deal that I've inherited coming into office represents an opportunity to secure progress on both of those things. And the case I'm putting to the House this afternoon is that it is a dereliction of duty from any member of this House to turn away from that possibility when we can support the food industry, we can support farmers, we can get Britain growing more strongly again. Since hunger, Mr. Speaker, we have been in close contact with the US about protective security at our shared bases. I want to thank our police and military personnel for their swift response to the incidents at RAF Fairford and RAF Molesworth. My right honourable friend, the Home Secretary, will update the House regarding the incident at RAF Fairford. But I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams. And we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC.