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UK pitched single market for goods with EU, as it pursues deeper trade ties
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UK pitched single market for goods with EU, as it pursues deeper trade ties

The Guardian · May 22, 2026, 5:00 PM

Key takeaways

  • UK government sources denied the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods.
  • During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc.
  • Those ideas are impossible under Starmer’s red lines.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

UK government sources denied the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PAView image in fullscreen UK government sources denied the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PABrexit UK pitched single market for goods with EU in pursuit of deeper trade ties Exclusive: Top Cabinet Office official presented idea in Brussels but sources say it was rebuffed

Prefer the Guardian on Google The UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.

During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc.

Article preview — originally published by The Guardian. Full story at the source.
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