A row has erupted in the upper ranks of the Labour party over Britain's relationship with the EU after Wes Streeting said the nation should try to rejoin the union.
Mr Streeting, the ex-health secretary, on Saturday set out his desire for a “new special relationship” with the EU, and to eventually regain membership of the trade bloc.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the Wigan MP rebuked Mr Streeting’s plans for a return to the EU.
Ms Nandy told Sky News: “If rejoining the EU is the answer, then essentially what we’re saying to people is ‘life was fine in 2015, we just need to go back there’.
“I know Wes is coming up to campaign in the by-election quite soon. He will hear loud and clear from people in places like Wigan, Ashton, Winstanley, across Makerfield, that that is absolutely not the case. And the answer has to be bigger.”
Jostling over Labour’s future direction on Europe began as the party debates how to move on from its bruising election defeats last week.
Speaking at the Progress think tank’s conference in central London on Saturday, Mr Streeting described Brexit as a “catastrophic mistake”, and broke the ice on a topic which Labour has long avoided revisiting.
“We need a new special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union,” he said.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was meanwhile probed over his support for returning to the EU as he seeks to stand in a Brexit-voting, Reform UK-facing parliamentary constituency.
Amid an emerging Labour leadership debate, Ms Nandy was asked whether she believed Sir Keir would leave No 10 by the summer.
“No, I don’t,” she replied. “I have spoken to the Prime Minister several times over the last week and he was very clear with the Cabinet on Tuesday that if people want to challenge him there is a process for doing that, there is a way to trigger a leadership contest, to be leader of the Labour Party and to succeed him as Prime Minister.”
No-one has yet triggered a leadership contest “despite the absolute feverish speculation”, the minister insisted.
