The Liberal Democrats would seek to bring the UK back into the European Union's single market, the party said in its manifesto.
The 116-page document insists Ed Davey’s party would "aim to place the UK-EU relationship on a more formal and stable footing by seeking to join the single market."
Speaking at the manifesto launch in North London today, the Liberal Democrat leader said he would commit to “fixing our broken relationship with Europe”.
The party also has a "longer-term ambition" to rejoin the EU.
Asked if rejoining the EU is something he wants to see in the next parliament, Sir Ed said it "is going to take time, regrettably because the Conservatives have done such damage".
"We believe in the long term we need to be back in the heart of Europe, but we aren't going to pretend that is going to be easy," he added.
It is the first Lib Dem general election manifesto since Jo Swinson fronted the 96-page “Stop Brexit – Build a Brighter Future” in 2019.
Nigel Farage admitted the Lib Dem pledge to rejoin the EU single market “isn’t going to happen”.
The Reform leader said there was “no way” that Sir Keir Starmer would agree to such a move under any potential post-election deal between Labour and the Lib Dems.
Mr Farage said: “You can see their logic. You rejoin the single market, you then say to people ‘ah, but they are making rules over which we have no say, therefore we have to rejoin’.
“This is an attempt to get us to rejoin, it isn’t going to happen. There is no way that Starmer would even dare attempt to overturn the constitutional settlement but we are going to be tied even more closely than we are now to EU rules for the next five years.”
Meanwhile Environment Secretary Steve Barclay and former Brexit Secretary said: “Giving foreigners the right to vote is nothing more than a plot to take the UK back into the EU by stealth.
“At least the Lib Dems are open about their intentions to reverse Brexit, Labour have persistently shown they too want to drag us closer to Brussels and have already fiddled the ballot box in Wales to help them achieve that aim.
“A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to put Keir Starmer in Downing Street. Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan and will deliver the bold action needed in this uncertain world to secure the future of Britain.”
The Lib Dem manifesto, titled “For a Fair Deal”, also pledged to make time for a debate and vote on assisted dying.
MPs debated a petition on assisted dying in April after relentless crusading by the Express.
The Lib Dem manifesto pledged to: “Give Parliament time to fully debate and vote on legislation on assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults with strict safeguards, subject to a free vote.”
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “Many dying people will be casting their final vote in this election.
“They will be asking their future MPs to give them the choice they are calling out for.
“All eyes are now on candidates of all parties, to see if they will commit to standing on the right side of history or defend a law that is dangerous, uncompassionate and more than sixty years out of date.”
The first manifesto released by a main political party “throws down the gauntlet” to the two main parties on the NHS and social care, campaigner Dennis Reed said.
Sir Ed told how his party set out a plan to “save the NHS”.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, said: “Older people will applaud the Liberal Democrats in putting the health and social care crisis at the centre of their pitch to the British public.
“Ed Davey has thrown down the gauntlet to Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to match or exceed his party’s ambitions for health and social care”.
Professor Pat Price, founder of Radiotherapy UK and the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, welcomed the Liberal Democrats' commitments to boost cancer survival rates and guarantee that 100% of patients will start treatment for cancer within 62 days from urgent referral.
She said: "We are pleased to see the pledge to replace ageing radiotherapy cancer treatment machines and increase their overall number. Better access to radiotherapy is vital for timely cancer treatment.
"The simple reality is that cancer services in the UK are in crisis, and it will take a focused, concerted effort by the next Government to improve cancer outcomes."
But the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said there were “clear risks” that the party’s tax plans would not raise the £27 billion that they hoped.
Paul Johnson, IFS director, said: “They propose a top-up of day-to-day spending plans to be funded by some big tax increases, on top of those currently in the pipeline.
“By focusing on taxing banks, energy companies and tech giants, many of these tax rises are intended to look ‘victimless’ – but of course they are not.
“We are already raising more from taxing companies than at any time in decades. Moreover, there are clear risks that their package of tax measures would not raise the £27 billion a year that they claim.
“And some of the tax raising measures are an economically bad idea. We should not, for example, be taxing share buybacks.”
The Lib Dems have also promised to compensate the victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, an issue that has dogged Sir Ed.
He has recently come under fire for failing to do more to help wrongly-convicted subpostmasters when he served as postal affairs minister under the coalition government between 2010 and 2012.
Buried on page 101 of the document was a pledge to “ensure justice for the victims of scandals and prevent future scandals”.
This included “providing full and fair compensation to all victims of the Horizon Post Office scandal and the Infected Blood scandal as quickly as possible”.
Tory party chairman Richard Holden said a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to put Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street.
