This lies behind the prime minister’s decision to open the door to the argument about rejoining the EU single market – along with the freedom of movement that would bring – and even the EU altogether.
But that longer-term ambition is dividing his cabinet and his party.
Some welcome his approach, including those with formerly Brexit-backing constituencies. Angela Rayner, for example, is understood to have been pushing former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to be bolder on Brexit since at least autumn 2022.
The housing secretary is said to have been insistent that Labour needs to stick to its manifesto red lines – not to return to the EU single market, customs union, or freedom of movement – but is open minded to changing those at the next election.
Another cabinet minister said: “The best thing you can do in politics is tell the truth. And the truth is that Brexit has been hugely damaging to Britain.
“We are not leading a public conversation here, we are racing to catch up with the public.”
But others are watching nervously at a strategy one former minister described as “high risk”.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, for example, has struck a more cautious tone warning about the “costs and consequences” of rejoining the EU as well as staying out.
Jonathan Reynolds, the Business and Trade Secretary, is supportive of getting closer to the EU and discussing the UK’s long term relationship.
But he has previously warned against joining the EU’s customs union and is also unsure about the prospect of rejoining the EU, highlighting the uncertainty of what terms the UK would face, and what the bloc could look like in years to come with nationalist parties in the ascendancy in several European countries.
A voice from the past has a different set of concerns.
Lord Cameron told Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain that starting a conversation about rejoining would be “very long and painful”.
The former prime minister warned “flirting with rejoining” could also harm Burnham’s attempts to renegotiate the Conservative’s Brexit deal.
“If you start endlessly producing this idea that we’re actually on a path to rejoining, I think you’re in danger of getting a less good partnership deal because of course the EU countries will just think: ‘Well, these guys are gonna rejoin anyway, so what’s the point in giving them a good partnership deal’.”
Attitudes in Labour towards the prime minister’s approach don’t divide along predictable lines. One Scottish Labour MP, personally opposed to Brexit and with a heavily Remain-voting constituency, said it was a “real problem”.
“How can I argue to my constituents that we had a Scottish referendum in 2014 that settled independence for a generation. but then say the 2016 referendum isn’t settled? My view is you accept democracy.”
For now though, that opposition hasn’t broken out into public rebellion, although Labour MP Gareth Snell is one who has warned about reopening the debate.
The MP for Stoke-on-Trent, where the Leave vote was 69.4%, told the BBC’s Westminster Hour that doing so would “monopolise an awful lot of time inside parliament, inside government” when there are other things MPs should be doing.
Two Labour MPs among those most unhappy about Burnham’s openness to Europe insisted “there are no plans” for any organised criticism of the prime minister.
Despite their concerns, particularly about free movement, they described their current mindset as “wait and see”. That temporary truce is likely to fracture if the prime minister’s lead in the polls begins to slide.