Burnham not ruling out going ‘all the way’ and rejoining European Union

The Prime Minister, who has blamed Brexit for a decade of drift and division, made the dramatic admission in an interview on Wednesday morning.

He told the BBC he did not want to leave the issue “hanging” and he wanted to be clear on “where we want Britain to go in the next decade”.

“We could stay as we are. That’s definitely an option, if people think this is the right place to stay,” he told the programme.

“We could look at what (former Conservative chancellor) George Osborne has said about a customs union, we could look at what the Liberal Democrats said at their conference about the single market or we could go all the way.”

Labour’s election manifesto in 2024 ruled out joining a customs union, going back into the single market or allowing the return of freedom of movement with the EU.

But Mr Burnham has indicated he is prepared to recommend going beyond those red lines in future.

“There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each,” he told the BBC.

The Leave campaign, led by Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, sought to lure voters by dangling the prospect of £350 million more a week for the NHS from quitting the EU, which was famously emblazoned across a bus.

Mr Burnham said he would seek to strike deals on immigration and to help the sectors in Britain most harmed by Brexit.

But he added: “These are important, concrete steps, but they are not enough.

“I say this to you and the country - we will not give Britain the clear path we need into the rest of this century until we decide on a long-term relationship with what is still our largest market.”