DAN HODGES: Why I believe a second EU referendum really is now on the table
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Until this weekend, most Cabinet ministers believed Andy Burnham was bluffing when he stated he was not ruling out a return to the EU.
But the news that Ben Nunn, a former senior adviser to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s EU adviser has changed all that.
‘It’s pretty obvious why they’re bringing him in,’ one minister told me. ‘He’s going to mastermind the Rejoin campaign.’
Nunn is not well known outside Westminster. But within Government circles he has a reputation as a skillful, if combative, political strategist. He was one of Sir Keir’s most trusted aides during his time in opposition, and helped mastermind the general election victory.
He was subsequently appointed as chief of staff to Rachel Reeves soon after she entered the Treasury, where he concentrated on her media management.
‘Ben isn’t a foreign-policy specialist,’ another minister explained, ‘and I didn’t notice him showing any specific interest in Europe during his time with Keir or Rachel. So he must have been appointed for his campaigning and spinning skills.’
Ben Nunn is not well known outside Westminster. But within Government circles he has a reputation as a skillful, if combative, political strategist
According to sources in No10, Burnham has been wooing Nunn for several weeks. His appointment is also thought to have been lobbied for by Lou Haigh, the Cabinet Office minister who is seen as Burnham’s most influential backroom fixer. Like most of Burnham’s Cabinet, I also thought his flirtation with Europe was primarily posturing aimed at shoring up Labour’s pro-European left flank in the run-up to an expected general election.
But it seems that, at a minimum, the Prime Minister is looking to see if he can prise open the door to a comprehensive restructuring of Britain’s relationship with the EU.
And if the politics is deemed to be right, a second referendum really is on the table.
There is now clear co-ordination within Government over the increasingly loud pro-EU drumbeat. It certainly wasn’t coincidental that on the same day Nunn’s appointment was confirmed to journalists, his former boss Rachel Reeves appeared in the Sunday newspapers to boldly declare ‘Britain’s future lies in the European Union’.
‘However, it is incumbent on supporters of our re-entry to make the argument, demonstrate tangible benefits and to get the next steps right.’
One minister told me he thought Reeves’s comments indicated the former Chancellor was angling for a major role in a future referendum campaign.
‘I suspect she’s going to play some sort of formal role,’ he said. ‘It’s either that or she thinks this is her route back to Government.’ A prospect that is not exactly delighting Reeves’ former colleagues.
As one minister in a hotly contested Red Wall seat told me: ‘This is crazy politics. We’ve finally got Reform on the run. Re-opening the old Brexit arguments is just playing into Farage’s hands.’
Andy Burnham clearly thinks the opposite. Ben Nunn’s appointment proves it. A major recasting of the country’s relationship with the EU is on the cards. And the prospect of another referendum can no longer be ruled out. The Prime Minister isn’t bluffing after all.
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