Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he could go "all the way" and propose rejoining the European Union. Speaking in his first Labour Party conference speech as leader, he blamed Brexit for a decade of drift and division and said he would look at the "pros and cons" of all options.
Options to be set out around UK-EU summit
Mr Burnham promised to set out the options to the country around the time of a UK-EU summit later this year. These might include rejoining the EU's Customs Union, Single Market or full membership.
He said Brexit had done more harm than good. The options could also mean another divisive referendum, this time asking Brits if they want to reverse Brexit.
Conservative response
The Conservatives responded to Mr Burnham's comments by pointing to the stance he took during his Makerfield by-election campaign of not wanting to "rerun" the Brexit debate.
Tory deputy leader Alex Burghart said: "You cannot trust a word Andy Burnham says. Just a few weeks ago he said he wanted to move on from the Brexit arguments and now he is dragging Britain back into them by floating the prospect of rejoining the EU."
"Labour cannot blame a democratic vote from over a decade ago for the consequences of their own economic decisions. While they look backwards, the Conservatives will look forwards."
Polling on rejoining
Previous surveys on rejoining have gained mixed responses, depending on how questions are put. YouGov's latest poll suggests 55% of adults support the principle of the UK rejoining the European Union, with 34% against.
But if rejoining means not having any of the opt-outs from EU policy that were in place during the UK's previous membership, support falls to 35% while opposition rises to 43%. A poll carried out in May by Opinium suggests just 36% of adults agree the UK should rejoin the EU.
