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Starmer the charmer: UK premier meets EU leaders in bid to reset relations

Jim Drury

Keir Starmer speaks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz during Sunday's bilateral meeting at Britain's Prime Minister's weekend residence. /Ben Stansall/Pool
Keir Starmer speaks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz during Sunday's bilateral meeting at Britain's Prime Minister's weekend residence. /Ben Stansall/Pool

Keir Starmer speaks with Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz during Sunday's bilateral meeting at Britain's Prime Minister's weekend residence. /Ben Stansall/Pool

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets fellow European Union leaders in Brussels on Monday in a bid to agree a cautious reset of relations with the bloc five years after his country's chaotic departure.

After meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Starmer will dine with leaders from the 27 member states, the first time a British leader has done so since the UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020. 

Ahead of talks, the UK premier preemptively ruled out rejoining the EU customs union, which allows for the free movement of goods within the bloc. He also excluded all talk of re-entering the European single market which guarantees free movement of goods, capital, services, and people across member states.

But Starmer believes there are smaller deals on the margins of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement effective from May 1, 2021.

 

Limited room for maneuver

Since his landslide election win last July, Starmer has worked to improve ties with the EU after years of rancorous Brexit talks. Along with Chancellor (Finance Minister) Rachel Reeves, Starmer hopes to persuade the bloc to scrap some regulation hampering trade in a bid to boost UK economic growth.

However, European commentators say there is limited room for maneuver, particularly after Starmer's interior minister Yvette Cooper poured cold water over one of the EU's wishes, a deal for an EU-UK youth mobility scheme.

Cooper told UK broadcaster Sky News on Sunday: "We've been clear that we need net migration to come down. So that's why this is not an approach that we are looking for."

The scheme would make it easier for young EU and UK citizens to study, work and live in the UK and the EU respectively, with a recent YouGov opinion poll showing broad British public support for it. 

Experts including Miguel Berger, Germany's ambassador to the UK, say UK efforts to reset relations are contingent on Starmer's government agreeing a compromise on the scheme.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands outside 10 Downing Street last October. /Hollie Adams/Reuters
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands outside 10 Downing Street last October. /Hollie Adams/Reuters

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands outside 10 Downing Street last October. /Hollie Adams/Reuters

Much of the focus of Monday's talks will be Europe's continuing support for Ukraine in its three-year conflict with Russia.   

Starmer is expected to urge leaders to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will say that Putin has been fazed by U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion of adding new tariffs to his sanctions threat against Moscow if there is no deal to end the conflict. 

According to remarks provided by his Downing Street office, Starmer will tell EU leaders: "We need to see all allies stepping up - particularly in Europe," adding: "I'm here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin's war machine."

The press release said Starmer would discuss plans for a UK-EU defense and security partnership "in order to tackle the generational threats we all face."

 

Charm offensive

Starmer's latest European charm offensive began with talks at his Chequers weekend residence on Sunday with embattled German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

He hailed "real progress" in the UK's relationship with Germany, declaring: "When I started as prime minister seven months ago now, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. And thanks to your leadership, I think we've made real progress.”

Scholz replied that the meeting was a "good sign of the very good relations between our two countries and between the two of us", and a "very good moment to improve our relation between EU and UK."

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters
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