The Labour leadership race sparked into life today as Ed Balls came under fire for calling for a major rethink on EU immigration to Britain.
As the contenders squared up for their first hustings, Andy Burnham — who is not yet officially on the ballot — said that Mr Balls was wrong to call for an end to free movement across the European Union.
Mr Balls surprised colleagues by proposing a radical move that would involve renegotiating the EU's Lisbon Treaty. But the shadow schools secretary, who also accused Gordon Brown of trying to brush immigration "under the carpet", drew criticism from rivals for the Labour leadership.
Mr Burnham said that it was time to look again at the benefits given to migrants, but he insisted that there could be no change to the fundamental principle of the Union.
"We can't turn the clock back on free movement — after all, British workers have been big beneficiaries in the past," he said.
But Mr Balls said: "Free movement of goods and services works to our mutual advantage. But the free movement of labour is another matter entirely," he said.
Many trade union members, who make up a third of Labour's electoral college, are concerned about the impact of immigration on jobs.
