Arabic version: داوننغ ستريت 10 يهوّن من الحديث عن العودة إلى السوق الموحدة

According to The Guardian, No 10 has played down discussion of the UK joining the EU single market after Andy Burnham appeared to suggest that such a move would require a referendum.

Burnham said a debate about the UK’s future relationship with the EU could bring together people who voted differently in the 2016 referendum. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said Brexit had not played out as it had been promised to the public.

He then caused confusion by appearing to imply that he would only take the country back into the single market after a referendum. The prime minister had previously said he wanted a debate on how Britain could establish a closer relationship with the EU.

Burnham also insisted that rejoining would be the public’s choice rather than his own. Elsewhere in his interview, Kemi Badenoch said the government was “all over the place on defence spending”, arguing that Burnham had committed to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 while the defence secretary had not made that commitment.

The day’s political developments also included Nigel Farage saying he would bury the hatchet with the Conservatives and campaign with them in a referendum on joining the EU. Reform UK defended plans to cut capital gains tax on cryptocurrency assets, while Robert Jenrick said the party would say more about its Britannia Card policy in the near future.