Jonathan Reynolds, the UK Secretary of State for Business, emphasized that he agrees with Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on efforts to get closer to the European Union. These remarks come as Reynolds warned a month ago that revisiting Brexit discussions could lead to uncertainty for businesses.
Emphasis on the need to improve trade relations
Reynolds told the media at the Labour Party conference that returning to the European Customs Union — one of the potential options raised by Burnham — would mean creating extensive coordination on regulatory issues. He warned that ongoing legal questions create "a lot of uncertainty for businesses."
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The minister also responded to questions from Sky News regarding whether Burnham is fueling this uncertainty by prioritizing Europe, saying: "I do not disagree with the Prime Minister... Right now, I strongly support the position of our election program, which is: Can we improve our trade relations with other parts of the world, which we have done."
Concerns about uncertainty in the future
Reynolds added: "When we think about the next ten years, we cannot avoid this question. There is uncertainty, whether we like it or not. I want to have the least amount of uncertainty possible for British businesses."
Burnham is set to attend the scheduled U.K.-EU summit in Brussels on November 20, where he will seek to address issues related to the current Brexit agreement. However, this summit is not expected to address broader questions about the UK's relationship with the European Union.
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