Key facts
- Burnham said Europe's issue on Made in Europe is Britain's issue, citing imports from China as the problem.
- Burnham said the deal is not done and there will be long nights ahead in the next seven days.
- The EU has said there cannot be a deal on Made in Europe at the summit because it has yet to finalise its own position.
- The EU has said the food and drink and emissions-trading deals may not enter into force without a tuition-fee deal.
- Burnham has previously said the food and drink deal will add 0.4% to British GDP.
- Ministry of Justice officials are trying to water down an EU ultimatum on halting deportations of foreign national offenders.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on November 12 that Britain shares Europe's problem with Chinese imports and should benefit from the EU's Made in Europe rules, which give European industry preferential treatment. He spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin.
"On Made in Europe, Europe's issue is Britain's issue, which is obviously, particularly imports from China, causing the problem," Burnham said. His comments came after Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Brexit Minister Hamish Falconer traveled to Brussels earlier in the week to press for assurances that Britain will be included in the incoming legislation, which risks shutting UK manufacturers out of key European supply chains.
Burnham held a series of meetings with European leaders, many for the first time, on November 12, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "We've had a good day but we've got a big week ahead of us," he said. "You know, the deal is not done. There'll be some long nights ahead in the next seven days."
After the bilateral meeting, Burnham said Britain is serious about delivering on its commitment to closer ties but that the next move is up to Brussels. "We are, you know, very serious about honoring the manifesto which said deeper ties, and I'm delivering on that. But we have to see what Europe says in response to that," he said.
Next week's summit is expected to cover a new agri-food agreement, linking the UK and EU emissions trading systems, and a youth mobility scheme. Hurdles remain, including the terms of any youth mobility deal, Britain's access to the Made in Europe initiative and a potential reduction in tuition fees for EU students at UK universities.
The EU has said the prized food and drink deal and emissions-trading agreement may not enter into force without a deal on tuition fees in which European students would pay domestic rates. Burnham said it was a package deal but would not be drawn on whether he accepted the link. He has previously said the food and drink deal, which will ease Brexit red tape, will add 0.4% to British GDP.
Burnham is expected to make the EU reset the centrepiece of his white-tie speech at the lord mayor's banquet on Monday night. No 10 sources said the speech would be focused on the upcoming Brussels summit and look ahead to the next stage in 2027. Officials at the UK-EU summit will also discuss the agenda for the next round of the reset, expected to focus on a joint migration pact.
Ministry of Justice officials are also trying to water down an EU ultimatum on halting the deportation of foreign national offenders. "This is the classic wheeze that the EU always pulls at the last minute of negotiations," one Whitehall source said. The EU has long said there cannot be a deal on Made in Europe at the summit, because it has yet to finalise its own position.