Nearly three-quarters of Labour voters want Andy Burnham to include talks to rejoin the European Union in the party's next manifesto, according to a major new poll carried out as the prime minister opened the door to returning to the bloc.
Britons would also vote by nearly two to one, 57 to 30 per cent, to become part of the EU again in another referendum, the survey found.
The polling, carried out by European Movement UK in partnership with Observant, found that a majority of voters for all but one of the major parties were in favour of the inclusion of a commitment to seek membership of the EU in their next election manifesto. Reform UK was the only party whose voters were against it.
The findings come as a leading think tank has unveiled a roadmap for Britain's return to the bloc within the next decade.
The report, drawn up by the European Movement and seen by The Independent, is backed by prominent figures from across different parties, including Conservative peer and former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine, ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock and the former Lib Dem business secretary Sir Vince Cable, and is being sent to the prime minister.
The plan, which aims to get the UK back into the EU by 2036 or earlier, deals with the main potential roadblocks, including strategies to overcome concerns about calls for Britain to adopt the euro or enter the Schengen free travel area.
Lord Heseltine said: "Ten years on since Brexit, this is how we solve our shared global problems."
Lord Kinnock added: “After 10 years out, 10 years to gain full admission again is sensible. But it could be less because the immovable realities of the continuing damage to our country, of proximity to our largest markets, security needs and political influence could propel stronger awareness of the need for UK membership of the EU on both sides of the Channel.
"It is essential that, in the meantime, the significance of the unpatriotic anti-European Parties is flattened so that they are no longer an impediment to trust and progress."
It comes after the prime minister announced at the Labour conference that he would look at options on Brexit and suggested that rejoining the EU could be in the party’s next election manifesto.
Mr Burnham declared that Brexit has not worked and said it had led to “a decade of drift and division” since 2016.
A debate in parliament is set to take place on Monday on a petition supporting rejoining the EU with around 26,000 letters backing the proposal already sent to MPs.
The European Movement argues that rejoining the EU is “a prerequisite for solving many of the UK’s deep-seated problems.”
It notes: “Putting up trade barriers with our closest neighbours has left the UK between 4 per cent and 8 per cent poorer than we otherwise would have been.”
With Donald Trump in the White House it also warns that the “UK’s special relationship with the US, if it ever existed, has collapsed. China is ever more assertive. Outside the EU, the UK is less able to defend itself against unfair trade competition and punitive tariffs.”
The European Movement’s plan, which has already been shared with a number of MPs and high-profile supporters, says that a target of 2036 is required to give “a sense of urgency” while fitting within the normal time period of accession for a new member.
The shortest – around three years - was for Finland and Sweden, which joined in 1995. They were already in line with much EU law, as they were European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members and signed the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement in 1992.
The European Movement UK plan also comes after former prime minister Sir Tony Blair told Mr Burnham in a report from his think tank that he needs to include rejoining the EU in his forthcoming 10-year-plan.
The UK has a similar advantage of a high level of existing alignment, having retained a significant proportion of EU law post-Brexit.
But “the EU will want to see a large and resilient majority of UK voters backing ‘join’.”
In a message to Mr Burnham, it also warns that “the government of the day makes joining the EU a clear and unequivocal policy priority.”
“A clear electoral mandate” could be achieved with a manifesto commitment at the next election, expected in 2029.
But the EU would require any final deal to be ratified by another referendum before accession is granted, it notes.
Looking at the next election though, the European Movement states: “If parties committed to EU membership achieve a majority, then the next government – single party or coalition – would have a mandate to apply.”
On the euro it points out that while EU treaties do require a commitment to join the single currency it is “at an unspecified date in the future: in other words, there is a derogation without a specified time limit.”
The EU’s new visa system could make UK public opinion “more amenable than in the past to joining Schengen.”
But it also points out that it took many years for countries like Romania and Bulgaria to join the travel zone. There are also two major complications for the UK - that Ireland would also have to join and “the large number of… very busy maritime ports and hub airports with extensive non-EU traffic.”
Overall, it warns that when it comes to negotiations: “Unanimity among EU member states is required throughout. Any member state can singlehandedly freeze the negotiations at various points. The UK side will need to be aware of this and appoint knowledgeable and skilful negotiators.”
As part of The Independent’s Europe: The Way Back campaign, polling guru professor Sir John Curtice said that support for rejoining the EU was now at its highest level since the Brexit vote.
Former Tory chancellor George Osborne said Britain’s economy had “fallen off a cliff” since Brexit and that rejoining the EU’s customs union would be the swiftest route to recovery.
And Lord Kinnock said that those who “love their country” will want to return to the EU.
As prime minister Andy Burnham looks at the way ahead for Britain's relationship with Europe, The Independent has been leading the charge, campaigning to secure the absolute best deal for Britain. Become an Independent member for just £1 for six months and join a like-minded community of thousands signed up to our Europe: The Way Back campaign.
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