Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said it was likely that Britain would need to allow people to cross borders for work

Labour’s position on free movement appeared to be softening yesterday as Sajid Javid drafted proposals for tighter access to Britain for Europeans.

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, and Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, both hinted at a change in attitude.

The party said in its election manifesto last year that it would seek to negotiate “fair rules and reasonable management of migration”, but pledged: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union.” Senior Labour figures have raised concerns about alienating Leave voters by weakening its stance on immigration.

Asked whether Labour’s position on retaining access to the internal market entailed applying the EU’s four freedoms, including the freedom of movement, Sir Keir said yesterday: “We are facing up to