UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will push for closer relations with the European Union and confirmed he will attend a bilateral summit in Brussels next month.
Speaking to parliament on Monday, Burnham said parts of the trade deal Britain secured with the EU after voters chose to leave the bloc in 2016 would be renegotiated.
According to the prime minister, the British people will be the "boss" at every stage of the process of renegotiating the UK-EU relationship, and he wants a "serious dialogue" on long-term ties.
He told lawmakers that his focus at the summit would be boosting economic growth and curbing illegal immigration.
Topics for discussion at the November summit include cutting red tape for British food exports and emissions trading, along with a "new youth experience scheme" and deeper cooperation on immigration.
The prime minister, who took office in July, argues these arrangements could reverse some of the "damage" done to the British economy by Brexit.
He told lawmakers that Britain needed to "look at today's world calmly and clearly".
"Standing still is not enough," he said, adding that "public opinion is now behind a pragmatic approach like the one I am proposing".
After his remarks, opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said Burnham would not be able to secure a better deal because the EU are "tough negotiators", warning that he had "shown his hand".
