The Treasury is expected to draw up an analysis of the economic benefits of closer relations with the European Union, as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares to reopen the debate over Brexit.

Whitehall sources said officials would examine a range of options for the UK's future relationship with Brussels. A Treasury source said the department had not yet been asked to produce the analysis.

Mr Burnham plans to use a UK-EU summit in Brussels this month to launch what he has described as a "conversation" about Britain's relationship with the bloc. The first test comes at next week's European Political Community meeting in Dublin, followed by a formal summit on 20 November.

What the talks already cover

Talks already cover youth mobility, agricultural trade and emissions rules. European negotiators have resisted linking access for British companies to the bloc's industrial strategy with discounted university fees for EU students.

Mr Burnham, who became prime minister in July, has signalled greater flexibility than his predecessor Keir Starmer. His government is weighing options from a tailored economic partnership to customs union or single-market membership, with eventual EU re-entry also under consideration.

Single-market membership could improve trade access but would require accepting free movement of people. The Prime Minister has claimed a food and farming agreement would lift gross domestic product by 0.4 per cent over time, equivalent to £12 billion a year, but the Treasury has not yet published the analysis behind it.

Critics warn of Project Fear repeat

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the initiative "sounds like Project Fear all over again", while shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith accused the Treasury of risking "Project Fear in reverse". Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said closer trading links with Europe could improve UK growth.