Fears are mounting that Prime Minister Andy Burnham could trade away Britain's Brexit freedoms as he prepares for a delayed summit with EU leaders next month, intended to progress talks between Westminster and Brussels.
The meeting comes months after Mr Burnham refused to answer questions about his position on EU rejoin. Last year, he told Labour Party members he wanted to see the country back in the bloc "in my lifetime", but later wound down the claim during the Makerfield by-election, telling voters in the 65% Leave-backing seat that it was not on the ballot paper. He then announced that rejoining was on the table during his speech to the Labour Party Conference.
British taxpayers funding EU projects
European leaders have already indicated they would welcome the UK back to the bloc, with one suggesting they wanted British taxpayers' cash. Czech PM Andrej Babis told the media he wanted London to hand over money to Brussels, replying "Yes of course. We need more money" when asked if he wanted the UK to undo the 2016 referendum.
Before leaving the EU, the UK paid billions of pounds to be a member of the trading bloc, and would likely need to pay again as part of any new agreement.
Farmers facing more foreign competition
Europhiles have long wanted British farmers to be held to the same rules as Europeans, but many farmers disagree. Imposing new food regulations on the UK farming sector would likely come with a hefty price tag, harming a sector already suffering from higher taxes and the family farm tax, which dragged Britain's family farms into inheritance tax for the first time in history.
Signing up to the euro
A very unlikely scenario is that Europeans could demand the UK end the use of its own currency. The UK previously refused to sign up to the euro, but Leave supporters have long worried that a future government could abandon that stance. It is considered extremely unlikely that Europeans would make such a demand, or that Westminster would accept it.
Further loss of control at the border
Currently, the UK sets its own rules on who can come to live and work, but Brussels has made clear it wants a youth mobility deal as part of any closer relationship. The scheme under discussion would allow 18 to 30-year-olds from the UK and EU to spend a limited period living, studying and working in each other's countries, with no sponsorship or salary thresholds required.
Brussels is also pushing for EU students at UK universities to pay home fees rather than higher international rates, which would leave British taxpayers subsidising European students. The talks were due to be wrapped up at a summit in July, but Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation on June 22 and a UK-EU summit pencilled in for July 22 was postponed. A Burnham premiership has been reported as likely to maintain, and possibly hasten, the closer relationship with Brussels. Ministers insist the scheme is not free movement and would be capped and time-limited.
