Burnham seeks UK access to EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ scheme

New York, United States. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain would argue for inclusion as a “trusted partner” in the European Union’s ‘Made in Europe’ scheme, saying the country shared the bloc’s concerns over reliance on Chinese components.

Trusted-partner proposal

Speaking to reporters while travelling to New York for his first United Nations General Assembly meeting as prime minister, Burnham said he believed there was support for Britain’s request to access the scheme.

The EU initiative aims to reduce reliance on Chinese components by prioritising European-made goods.

“Europe’s argument is not with us. We both suffer the same effects as other countries, particularly (in) steel,” Burnham said.

“We are making the argument: we are not your enemies here… we are not the problem. Made in Europe is dealing with a different problem. We are making the argument that: let’s avoid collateral damage.”

Concerns over trade barriers

Britain has said the EU plan could affect supply chains and create unnecessary trade barriers between London and some member states.

Burnham said he was anxious that Britain should not miss out on another EU initiative after talks on joining the bloc’s SAFE defence fund broke down.

UK-EU relations

Burnham said he intended to build on his predecessor’s efforts to deepen ties with the EU, which improved under Keir Starmer after years of distrust following Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the bloc.

He said he wanted to move “further and faster”, with his focus on a UK-EU summit delayed by Britain’s change of leader in July. Burnham said he hoped the meeting would still take place this year.

“Lets work towards a trusted partner approach that doesn’t cause a problem where there wasn’t a problem and where we have common cause,” he said.