While clashing with TV presenter Andrew Neil on BBC Two’s Daily Politics this afternoon, politician said he wanted to see single market membership “as a red line in our negotiation”.

He added: “That is absolutely one of the things that I think ought to be stipulated by Parliament as one of the conditions on the government in going into the negotiations. That is my view and that is what I’m trying to achieve.”

Neil blasted Mr Smith and accused him of attempting to “water down” the Brexit vote.

The MP said there were “many moving parts” in the “machine” and different possible outcomes.

He said: “Potentially some of those things could apply but we’re going into completely uncharted territory, two years of open ended negotiating with European partners who themselves are going through, as you will know, elections next May and next September.

“I think there are many moving parts in this machine and all sorts of possible outputs from the machine and we need to be I think clear from the government what they think the red lines are.”

“I would definitely want to reflect what I think is actually, if you look at the polls, majority opinion in Britain, which is that economic circumstances are more important… than controlling immigration, that’s certainly what polls have shown and that means staying within the single market.”

Neil scolded the MP once more and said remaining in the single market would be “tantamount” to reversing the Brexit vote.

Mr Smith replied: “You say that Andrew but I’m not sure that’s true. I don’t think the membership of the single market was on the ballot paper.”