Burnham brings back Brexit wars: what’s the strategy?

Andy Burnham has pulled the lever marked ‘Brexit’, threatening to reignite the wars of yesteryear. The soft left are delighted, but there’s unease in his cabinet. Is this a route back to a referendum, or just a meagre SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) deal? Or is Burnham already firing the opening shots of his election campaign — at the expense of the leave-voting areas he promised to win over? Has he already failed the Makerfield test?

It’s budget season, and speculation is mounting over what’s inside John Healey’s red box. This is billed as a budget for the high street: for the white van man and the beauticians of Rotherham, funded by a crackdown on online retail giants. But with John Lewis sounding the alarm, how far will the chancellor go?

Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times

Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times

Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times

Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson

Executive producer: Molly Guinness

Picture: Getty Images

00:00 - The Brexit Wars Return

02:51 - Why Andy Burnham Wants Closer EU Ties

05:25 - Nigel Farage Delighted & Secret Cabinet Rifts

08:04 - The Real Cost: Free Movement & Single Market Traps

10:50 - Is Labour Priming The Polls For An Early Election?

13:46 - Has Burnham Abandoned The 'Makerfield Test'?

17:46 - The Russia Claim: Anatomy Of A 24-Hour U-Turn

20:06 - "Authenticity" Or Chaos? Burnham's Loose Talk

22:25 - The Budget: John Healey Targets 'White Van Man'

26:11 - High Street vs Online Giants: Retailers Strike Back

28:56 - Historic Tax Hikes: Distracting From The Pain

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