# Brexit, oil and immigration: Labour's three rows

An episode of [The State of It](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1603820936), 27 Oct 2026, 33 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/times-daily-world-briefing/e/6ae074274bfda24fb3334c14/media.mp3

Arguing in the Labour party is ramping up. Andy Burnham has further fuelled the Brexit wars, floating a return to free movement and even EU membership, even though he claimed there was “nothing socialist” about free movement a decade ago. Is this political manoeuvring, or does Burnham himself know where he wants to end up? Meanwhile, Labour’s cabinet is split over North Sea drilling and immigration, with ministers publicly contradicting one another. Is Burnham a sort of Scouse Boris, coasting on charisma alone? And then there’s Wednesday's Budget. A fuel duty freeze, help with energy bills and a possible bank tax are all in the mix — but with the public finances under pressure, could John Healey have a rabbit up his sleeve? Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times Ben Riley-Smith, political editor, The Sunday Times Patrick Maguire, chief political commentator, The Times Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times Producers: Euan Dawtrey, Harry Kitson Pictures: Getty Images 00:00 - The Free Movement Bombshell 00:33 - The Scoop: How Andy Burnham Reopened the Brexit Debate 01:22 - Did Burnham Cross His Own Red Lines? 03:41 - Testing the Waters: Tactical Leak or Honest Mistake? 05:46 - A Scouse Boris? Burnham’s High-Risk Politics 07:44 - European Summit Secrets & Whitehall Panic 09:20 - Cabinet Mutiny: The Ministers Pushing Back 12:10 - Rejoining vs Growth: The Threat to British AI & Industry 13:30 - Burnham vs His Past Self: The 2016 Anti-EU Speech 15:48 - Cabinet Split Round 2: The Rosebank Oil War 18:24 - Resignation Watch: Will Ed Miliband Walk? 21:17 - The Brutal Pile-On Against Shabana Mahmood 23:26 - Leaked Budget: OBR Warns of Record-Breaking Taxes 25:04 - Cost of Living: Fuel Duty, Energy Hikes & "Puffin" Borrowing 26:55 - John Healey's Warning: "An Economic Storm Is Coming" 29:40 - The Global Crisis: Why the Government Can’t Save Your Wallet 31:25 - Final Predictions & Tomorrow's Budget Special This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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