After decades of moving away from Europe, the time has come for the next UK government to change the direction of travel
After decades of moving away from the EU, the time has come for the next UK government to change the direction of travelPARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 18: U.K. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer arrives at the Gare du Nord in Paris with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy ahead of his bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on September 18, 2023 in Paris, France.
In talks with EU officials in the Hague last week, Starmer called for greater co-operation over migration policy. And in advance of Tuesday’s meeting with Emmanuel Macron, he told the Financial Times that Labour would secure “a much better” Brexit deal than the current Trade and Co-Operation Agreement the UK signed in 2020.
The party’s shadow trade secretary, Nick Thomas-Symons, told the BBC on Sunday that the British “national interest will come first” in any future negotiations, but the reality is that the EU will require closer alignment with its own regulations in areas such as agriculture if agreement is to be reached. That will be attacked by Labour’s critics in parliament and the media as “rule-taking” and an erosion of British sovereignty.
Starmer’s move is not without danger. He got a taste of what is in store when right-wing media accused him of selling out on migration in the Hague last week. He can expect more of the same as the election draws nearer. But he must surely realise that, after decades of moving away from Europe, the time has come for a UK government to change the direction of travel.
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