Labour MP who helped write the party's Brexit red lines calls for them to be scrapped

Summary

Chris Ward, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, has called for the party's Brexit red lines to be scrapped. Ward helped craft the red lines that shaped Labour's 2024 manifesto and later served as a Cabinet Office minister working on the EU reset. In an opinion piece, he argues that the debate on Brexit has not moved on since the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, and that closer ties with Europe are the best route to peace and security in uncertain times. In a separate exclusive report, he is said to have called on Andy Burnham to abandon the red lines at the next election, saying a new relationship with the EU would protect the UK from global threats. The report says the call follows former chancellor Rachel Reeves saying it was right for Burnham to consider rejoining, and is the latest from a prominent figure in Keir Starmer's administration for a faster move to a far closer European relationship.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   9 Nov 2026, 17:00 UTCSource ↗

   In an opinion piece by Chris Ward, a Labour MP who helped craft the party's Brexit red lines, he writes that the Brexit debate has not moved on since the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and that closer ties with Europe are the best way to peace and security.

2. The Guardian

   9 Nov 2026, 17:00 UTCSource ↗

   In an exclusive report, it says Chris Ward, a co-author of Labour's Brexit red lines, has called for Andy Burnham to abandon them at the next election, arguing that a new relationship with the EU would protect the UK from global threats.