Readers of The Independent have responded with mixed reactions after Andy Burnham confirmed he would stick to Sir Keir Starmer's Brexit red lines, just days after suggesting he wanted to be "bolder" on relations with Europe. Downing Street stated on Monday that the UK will not seek to rejoin the EU, the single market, the customs union or free movement, disappointing those who had hoped the new prime minister would take a different approach to Britain's relationship with the bloc.

Some readers criticised the decision, pointing to recent trips to France and Italy where they found food, drink and everyday costs significantly cheaper than in the UK, arguing this showed what had been lost through Brexit. Others defended the caution, saying any reversal should wait for a fresh electoral mandate, with several upholding the legitimacy of the 2016 referendum result; one pointed out the EU has ruled out single market access without full membership, which requires accepting all four freedoms, and noted the UK's debt level, at close to 100 per cent of GDP, exceeds the EU's 60 per cent limit for new members. Several readers predicted the UK would eventually rejoin the EU, but not within this parliament.