UK and EU officials to discuss options including a return of free movement, as Burnham and Farage clash over Brexit
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says UK and EU officials will discuss options for the relationship, including free movement, before the EU summit on 20 November. Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he would not return to free movement without a referendum.
Left 0 · Centre-left 5 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 3 · Right 5
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Reopening the debate: UK and EU officials 'to discuss freedom of movement' (BBC).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “UK and EU officials to discuss freedom of movement” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
A Brexit red line: Burnham rules out free movement 'without a referendum' (The National).
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
Centre 3
- BBC News
UK and EU officials to discuss freedom of movement - Financial Times top-up
Andy Burnham backtracks on idea of referendum if UK accepts EU free movement (paywalled or blocks bots) - France 24 top-up
UK PM calls for 'honest discussion' about EU free movement (paywalled or blocks bots)
Right 3
- Daily Express
Nigel Farage savages Andy Burnham as officials discuss return of EU freedom of movement - Daily Mail
Labour revolt at Burnham bringing back Brexit wars as MPs warn over free movement talks with EU… and Cabinet splits deepen - Evening Standard
Burnham and Farage in angry Brexit bust-up over freedom of movement
Showing 3 from each side of 14 rated outlets (L 5 / C 1 / R 8). 2 found by a targeted top-up search (marked; not counted in the split). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: Talks that supporters call pragmatic are called betrayal by opponents, while the government says nothing would happen without a vote.
What each side may be protecting: Supporters: trade, young people and growth. Opponents: the 2016 result and border control.
A question to hold: Shared question: which closer ties, short of free movement, would both sides accept?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (14 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Herald (Scotland) | Centre-left | The Glasgow Herald is published by Herald & Times Group, which is owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Newsquest is the second-largest publisher in the United Kingdom, publishing 205 brands including 165 newspapers. Further, Newsquest is owned by US-based Gannett which publishes USA Today. source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| The National (Scotland) | Centre-left | The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source |
| i (inews) | Centre-left | DMG Media owns iNews, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Metro. Advertising, sponsored content, and subscriptions generate revenue. source |
| BBC News | Centre | The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| The Times | Centre-right | The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source |
| Daily Express | Right | The Daily Express is owned by Reach plc (formerly known as Trinity Mirror), a British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher. Subscriptions, newsstand sales, and advertising generate revenue. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| GB News | Right | GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source |
| The Sun | Right | The Sun is published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The paper generates revenue through advertising, newsstand sales, and subscriptions. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |