Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham will visit Brussels today and call for a separate Labour Yes campaign in the referendum on European Union membership.

Burnham will meet with Labour MEPs and UK Ambassador to the EU, Ivan Rodgers. As the first of the leaderships candidates to make a campaign stop in Brussels, he will attempt to persuade MEPs to back him and outline his approach to the EU. Ahead of the party’s announcement that it supports an EU referendum – a change from its pre-election opposition – Burnham called for an early referendum, saying it should take place by Autumn 2016.

Burnham will announce he would “learn the lessons of the Scottish independence referendum” – where Labour joined forces with the Conservatives in the Better Together campaign – and establish “a separate ‘Labour Yes’ campaign.” This is an attempt to show party members that while Labour will campaign for Britain to stay in the EU, under his leadership they would not be seen as going into partnership with the Tories over this issue.

He will also set out his renegotiation agenda, which will including strengthening the enforcement of the national minimum wage and addressing the issue of firms recruiting exclusively from overseas.

Burnham will say: