Do you think joining the SM will eventually become a vote winner amongst the electorate?

[Kendodd]

And if so, which party do you think will propose it first?
My money is on the Tories.

It's such a no-brainer I can't believe we didn't go for that as a soft Brexit.

The Tories would only do it if they split. The Lib Dems are pro-EU. Probably Labour if they find a back bone, on this among several subjects.

Not for a long time, and even longer if the deal announced today works as intended.

Labour have already ruled it out so it won’t be this manifesto

Tories I doubt it as FOM of people won’t be popular

Other barriers will come down though which is good. I’m pleased to hear cross party etc agreement today, even David Davis who rarely is positive was happy

I'm guessing you didn't vote leave though?

I think if the Tory party suffer a major defeat in the next election, their donors might want the hardline headbangers booted out. Infighting will ensue and a battle for the heart of the Tories. The 'New Conservatives' might emerge, wanting to distance themselves from the old Conservatives, and single market membership could be a way to do this. I think this would take two election defeats for them. Also, by then enough time would have passed that a great many Brexit voters would have died off and so that chunk of the electorate would be less powerful.

This is all of course assuming that Brexit doesn't prove to be a wonderful success and we are not all living prosperous lives in the sunlit uplands.

From my POV as someone who voted to Leave back in 2016....

IMO Proposing to rejoin the single market will lose most parties that offer it some votes and gain them others....with 1 exception.

The Liberal Democrats, who I think are already proposing this, and therefore are the answer to Kendodds second question.

On SM membership more generally, as long as free movement of people is an intergral part of it, from me its a "no thanks". Changing that is in the EUs court IMO.

From his speech about NI Rishi Sunak seems to thing single market membership is brilliant.

It'll have to get like the 1970s when things are so shit economically that it makes obvious sense.
I voted Remain. I'm in my late 50s. I'm not expecting it in my lifetime. I'd like the reunification of Ireland in my lifetime. That feels more likely.

Depends how you framed it. Most people (as we've seen) haven't a clue how it works. But then they didn't have a clue how the EEC worked back in 1975.

However the key thing is if they think it's good for the UK.

Would a customs union be a first step?

I could see labour making rejoining the EEA part of a 2029/2030 election manifesto.....assuming they win a 2024/2025 election but then become increasingly unpopular (and fall behind in opinion polls) owing to the economic headwinds created by Brexit. It could well be a vote winner then too.

Can't see the tories ever making re-entry of the single market an official policy. Even if the parliamentary party are willing to flip-flop either way on the issue (and not all of them are), the members would most likely find the idea completely unpalatable.

From his speech about NI Rishi Sunak seems to thing single market membership is brilliant.

I have wondered if someone will propose it, dressed up as a "trade deal with the EU" to disguise it.

I can't understand why Labour stated they've ruled it out nor why we didn't stay in the single market when we left the EU. After all, remaining in the single market was talked about by the leave campaign as if that's what would possibly happen. I'm sure some leave voters wanted that.

I'm sure some leave voters wanted that.

From all the Brexit threads in all the world, the only clarion message has been that Leave voters wanted whatever they got. It's almost like the old joke that ends "What !? And leave showbusiness ?"