Labour’s Brexit red lines ready for ‘dignified retirement’, says their co-author

Exclusive: MP Chris Ward believes ditching pledges and forming closer ties with EU would protect it from global threats

One of the architects of Keir Stamer’s Brexit red lines has called for Andy Burnham to abandon them at the next election, saying a new relationship with the EU would protect the UK from global threats.

The call is the latest voice from a prominent figure in Starmer’s administration for a faster transition to a far closer European relationship, after the former chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was right for Burnham to consider rejoining.

Chris Ward, one of Starmer’s closest confidants in politics and one of the ministers who worked on the EU reset, said that it was the security relationship that meant a change was now imperative.