Nick Boles, a former Conservative minister who defected to Labour over Brexit, has told The Independent that securing British re-entry to the EU single market would hand Andy Burnham victory at the next general election and cement a legacy to rival Tony Blair's. Boles is urging the new prime minister to capitalise on "pretty scary" global instability since 2016 to negotiate a fresh deal with the EU, arguing it would deliver a "devastating" blow to the Conservatives and Reform UK while positioning Labour on the popular side of the Brexit debate.

Boles proposes creating a "European Confederation" offering single market access and youth mobility without requiring free movement or Eurozone membership, in exchange for the UK committing 3.5 per cent of GDP to defence and extending its nuclear umbrella across the continent; the plan has reportedly already been put to the prime minister. He cites YouGov polling from June showing 59 per cent of Britons favour closer UK-EU ties versus 20 per cent opposed, with half supporting single market rejoining against 26 per cent against. Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has backed the plan as "practical", and Boles argues Burnham, unlike Sir Keir Starmer, would not be constrained by the criticised "reset" already negotiated with Brussels.