Andy Burnham says he will push for closer ties with the European Union

The Prime Minister has said it would be a dereliction of duty not to discuss closer ties with Europe which, he says, would boost growth in the UK and help tackle illegal immigration. He told MPs that he would use a UK-EU summit next month to push for new deals, but the British public would remain the "boss", as he put it, at every stage of renegotiation. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said he would not get a better deal, and accused him of weakening his negotiating hand by openly discussing his aims. Andy Burnham also addressed questions about Russia's involvement in the Brexit referendum in 2016, saying there was evidence Russia had tried to manipulate the 2019 general election, and it was 'inconceivable' Moscow had not been involved before, but he believed the result of the referendum was legitimate. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Mr Burnham a liar, and the idea of Russian inteference a hoax.