Andy Burnham’s remarks about Brexit in recent days – notably a seeming signal that the door is at least ajar to the possibility of rejoining the European Union - are the most heartening on the subject from any prime minister in the decade since that awful Leave vote.

That said, it is difficult to know quite how to react to them.

Undoubtedly, they are a breath of fresh air. They do seem to add up to a real moment.

However, it is also surely important not to get carried away.

Given this would be a long road, even with a stiff tailwind of everything going right from here, becoming too excited at this stage would probably be ill-advised.

That said, we should not underestimate the significance of what Mr Burnham has said.

And it is surely to be hoped that this will be looked back upon, from a happier future position, as a real watershed moment.

Mr Burnham’s predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, did strike a much more positive tone towards Europe than the Conservatives before him during his time at the helm. And the former prime minister’s attempts to rebuild bridges with the EU certainly fell into the category of something is better than nothing.

But Sir Keir stuck doggedly and demoralisingly - even when eventually plucking up the gumption to highlight the Brexit damage that is plain for anyone looking objectively at the economy and society to see - to Labour’s “red lines”.

These red lines, of course, embrace the two key dismal and damaging elements of the Conservative hard Brexit: the UK losing frictionless trade with its largest trading partner and the ending of free movement of people between the UK and European Economic Area.

The UK’s huge demographic challenges, crucially its ageing population and the........

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