In an exclusive report shared with GB News by, think-tank Facts4EU and colleagues at Stand for Our Sovereignty (SOS) and The Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIBUK), Andy Burnham, who previously admitted he would like to see Britain rejoin the Brussels bloc, has been revealed to have picked up where Sir Keir Starmer left off as he launched into EU talks with leaders across the continent.
During meetings with Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Luc Frieden, on an overnight train to Kyiv today, the Prime Minister settled on closer ties across key policy areas.
After, a No10 spokesman confirmed the world leaders had “agreed on the important cultural and educational ties between the UK and Europe to deliver opportunity for the next generation of Brits and Europeans”.
When Mr Burnham came to power, Hamish Falconer was appointed as the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations, who is in charge of overseeing the anticipated talks.
Earlier this month, Mr Falconer declared he would want a “deeper relationship, a more abitious relationship” with the EU.
The minister said he hoped the discussions would bring a “sense of renewed pace” as he looked towards upcoming talks with Brussels for a “reset”.
Just elected in 2024 as Lincoln’s MP, the politician was catapulted onto the frontbench, becoming Sir Keir Starmer’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Hamish Falconer has been on the frontbench since Labour won power back in 2024
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During his tenure, Mr Falconer fell under fire following a meeting with Egyptian-British political activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, whose release from prison was at the “top” of the MP’s “priorities”.
It later emerged that Mr El Fattah, 44, had expressed antisemitic and anti-British views on social media, calling Jews “dogs and monkeys”.
Following his arrival in Britain on Boxing Day, social media posts resurfaced showing Mr El Fattah call for the killing of Zionists and admitted he “seriously hate[s] white people”.
Sir Keir said he was “delighted” he had been reunited with his family, adding: “Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my Government since we came to office.”
Mr Falconer became an MP in 2024
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After almost two years in the job, Mr Falconer then became Mr Burnham’s minister for watching over these talks with the EU.
He has since spoken out about a “whole range of areas in relation to services where I’d really like (the relationship) to be progressed”.
“Services is obviously an area where the EU itself is less closely integrated and there’s a lot of discussion within the EU about where to take the productivity challenge for them – that’s a challenge we can recognise here in the UK as well,” he told The Guardian.
“So, particularly on services, I’m really interested in where we can go further.”
Lord Redwood, a Conservative peer and veteran Eurosceptic, hit out at the renewed talks with Brussels, accusing the EU of going “after our money”.
He told GB News: “They badly miss the large contributions to their budget after Brexit.
“As Facts4EU warn, the EU wants to go on another spending binge in its next seven-year budget. It sees the UK government as gullible fools likely to pay more to try to buy friendship.
“There will be bills for administering their extra laws we will have to impose, bills as a solidarity payment for poorer countries, a big step-up in the cost of the Student scheme, and many more benefits, subsidies and free services for all young people they want to come to the UK.
“The government is sufficiently out of touch to agree to pay them more for the humiliation of surrendering more of our powers to their laws and taxes.
“Far from bringing us more exports and prosperity by giving in, it will bring higher taxes, more imports, more lost UK jobs and less growth.
“This dangerous reset must be stopped. It is the ultimate betrayal of Brexit freedoms; a further assault on our sovereignty.”