Very first thing that popped into my head . <| sep |> The EU has a long record of negotiating access to the single market . It has done so quite often and always protected our freedom of movement . Most recently in the shadow play with the Swiss . Look at the difference between CETA and what EEA members get , that ' s what the EU will do in the Brexit negotiations . It will hurt to go there , but unless the EU does it , the whole single market and with it the EU will start to crumble . From Germany to Malta leaders all say the same . The EU as it exists today is a bargain that has political costs for all and if the UK destroys our freedom then EU membership with all the other burdens intact won ' t make sense for some member states . If the EU comes undone and if the single market is less comprehensive , then we will all lose even more than the value of trade with the UK . The EU has made this choice before , single market access for a trade partner at the cost of our four freedoms and loss our political equilibrium . The choice has always been no , that ' s why I trust the choice will be no market access again for the UK .