Keir Starmer’s plan to fix Britain’s fractured friendship with Europe

Keir Starmer was in Brussels yesterday on a charm offensive, as the government tries to reset the UK’s fractious post-Brexit relationship with its neighbours across the Channel. “We’re putting our relationship with Europe on a more solid, stable footing. That’s what British people want,” he told reporters last night.

The prime minister won the hearts of many Labour members in 2018 by insisting that a referendum to reverse Brexit must be kept on the table. But by the time Starmer won the leadership four years ago, Boris Johnson had won a crushing general election victory promising to “get Brexit done”. Starmer insisted the subject was now closed.

In its general election manifesto, Labour promised to make the UK “a leading nation in Europe once again, with an improved and ambitious relationship with our European partners” – but it wants to do so without rejoining the single market or the customs union, or revisiting freedom of movement.

For today’s newsletter, I spoke to the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin about what was at stake in Starmer’s meetings with senior EU policymakers – and what happens next.

Five big stories

In depth: ‘People are pleased that Keir Starmer wants to set a pro-European tone’

After years of scratchy relations between the UK and the EU, culminating in the 2016 Brexit referendum and the long, painful divorce talks that followed, Jennifer says the Labour government’s warmer approach is being welcomed. “There is enthusiasm and people are pleased that Keir Starmer wants to set a pro-European tone,” she says.

The prime minister, who was shadow Brexit secretary in Jeremy Corbyn’s top team, is also well known in Brussels, and as the author of a textbook on European human rights law understands the legal frameworks that underpin the way the EU functions. Starmer met the heads of all three of its key institutions – commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European council chair Charles Michel, and European parliament president Roberta Metsola – in what Jennifer took to be a sign of seriousness on the UK’s part.

There is some appreciation in Brussels too, she says, of the domestic challenges Starmer faces in confronting the forces of Euroscepticism – including former MEP Nigel Farage. Yet despite the positive mood music, and the mutual sympathy, Jennifer has significant doubts about whether Labour can achieve a closer relationship with the EU on the terms it hopes for.

‘Setting the tone’

One key stumbling block has already emerged. The EU wants to discuss the possibility of a youth mobility agreement, which could see a set number of young people travel to the UK and stay for a limited period, perhaps to study or work. The UK already has an arrangement like this with several other countries, including Australia and Canada – in these cases allowing 18- to 35-year-olds to come here and work for up to two years, provided they have a certain level of savings.

Such a scheme could be reciprocal, allowing UK citizens to spend time in an EU country; but Labour has previously ruled out the idea, fearful that it could be portrayed as akin to “free movement”, widely seen by politicians as one of the drivers of the discontent behind the Brexit vote. With Reform earning the third-most votes (but winning just five seats) in July’s general election, Labour is wary of inflaming anti-migration sentiment.

However, Jennifer says this issue could be key to opening up potential discussions on the post-Brexit relationship – because it would show that the UK is willing to meet the EU on its own terms.

“The youth mobility scheme will be front and centre because it’s really important for member states to have something tangible to show for improving the relationship,” she says. “Going to the UK was always such a popular thing, especially for young people.”

Asked about a youth mobility scheme after yesterday’s meetings, Starmer said it was “not a discussion that went into the details at this stage”, but was rather about “setting the parameters, setting the tone”.

A waiting game

Rather than cross-channel youth exchanges, Labour hopes that foreign and security policy can be the starting point for conversations with the EU. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, has already met several of his EU counterparts and is keen to pursue an agreement on shared policy goals – including tackling the climate crisis, as well as aiding Ukraine.

Jennifer says many EU diplomats welcome the notion of a foreign and security pact – Theresa May was negotiating such a deal as part of Brexit talks, before Boris Johnson ditched the idea. But she suggests the UK will have to make some more concrete proposals before much progress can be made. “There’s a general sense of ‘this is a good thing, but we need to see the detail’ – so it’s a bit of a waiting game.”

There were signs after Wednesday’s talks that the two sides are starting to do the groundwork. A joint statement said the EU and UK would work “at pace” on an “agenda of strengthened cooperation”, mentioning issues including energy, security, resilience and the economy, with a UK-EU summit to be held “ideally early in 2025”.

Labour’s red lines

When it comes to the economic relationship, Labour’s red lines – no to the single market, no to the customs union – will constrain its ambitions. Jennifer says even some of the limited changes proposed in the party’s manifesto will be tricky to negotiate. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications, so that lawyers or bankers could work across the UK and the EU, is something the bloc does offer to some non-member states – but only after extensive negotiations. She points out that the EU recently agreed mutual recognition of architectural qualifications across member states, but it took three years to finalise.

A veterinary agreement, aimed at cutting down checks at the EU border, is also a clear possibility – the EU has one with Switzerland, for example – but again it will take time. “There’s a view here that it’s a bit more complicated than it might appear at first glance and it’s not something you can just stroll up and negotiate over a weekend.”

Similarly, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has suggested the UK seek “bespoke” arrangements with the EU in key industries such as chemicals, accepting EU regulations as the quid pro quo. But Jennifer believes that approach is unlikely to fly. “The EU have just said so many times that they want to protect the integrity of the single market,” she says. “Once you start having an a la carte approach, their fear is that you start to pick holes in it.”

So while Keir Starmer may have left Brussels with the warm glow of a friendship rekindled, the detailed work is yet to begin, and Labour’s self-imposed red lines will limit its room for manoeuvre.

Nevertheless, Jennifer says, “against all the difficulty and the complexity of all these issues, broadly people are appreciative of this new prime minister and hopeful that it could mean a better relationship”.

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What else we’ve been reading

• As stage parents across the country prime Generation Alpha for the upcoming Harry Potter TV castings, Jamie Clifton reflects on his near miss at the lead role and the tradeoff between teenage megastardom and anonymity. Jason Okundaye, assistant editor, newsletters

• “Policy karaoke for wannabe prime ministers with no original material” – as the Conservative conference drew to a close in Birmingham on Wednesday, Rafael Behr argued convincingly that none of the four leadership contenders have really understood the scale of their party’s rejection by the electorate – or what they might need to do to win voters back. Heather

• I love these recipes from The Flygerians showcasing the fusion of Nigerian food with other world cuisines – I have fond memories of eating shawarma in Lekki last December, and jollof pasta is the best kept secret of west African households. Jason

• Here in the UK, City banks and consultancies are well known as high pressure work environments – but in India, it seems the demands made on young recruits to corporate jobs are even more extreme. Hannah Ellis-Petersen looks at the questions raised by the case of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant whose parents blamed a “relentless” work culture for her untimely death. Heather

• With the assisted dying bill soon to be debated in parliament, the potential risks of euthanasia are being stressed by experts. Palliative care doctor Lucy Thomas is cogent on the case against euthanasia, arguing that in the US and Canada it has been used to alleviate social burden and medical costs, rather than as a relief for unbearable pain. Jason

Sport

Football | Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool a comfortable 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League. Aston Villa had an early strike by Pau Torres ruled out by VAR but Jhon Durán came off the bench to score from long range to humble Bayern Munich 1-0.

Cycling | Sir Mark Cavendish has said it will be “really nice” to race as a knight commander as he received a knighthood at Windsor Castle. The 39-year-old from the Isle of Man finished the season with a record-breaking 35th career Tour de France stage win in what he said would “likely” be his last race.

Rugby union | Michael Cheika has been banned from Leicester’s match against Newcastle this weekend after he was found guilty of disrespecting the independent match-day doctor following his first match in charge of the Tigers.

The front pages

The Guardian leads this morning with “US warns Israel: we won’t support attacks on Iranian nuclear sites”. “Israel vows rapid revenge strike on Iran” – that’s the i while “Now Iran must pay the price” says the Metro. “Eight Israeli soldiers die in battle with Hezbollah” is the lead in the Times. “UK forces ‘not up to defending Israelis’” – that’s the opinion of Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, in the Telegraph, on combating Iranian missile attacks. The Express’s splash is “Security chiefs fear rise in terror attacks in UK”. Top story in the Financial Times is “OpenAI asks investors not to back rivals after raising $6.6bn in funds”. “Kate’s hug for cancer teen” is a “touching royal moment” on the front of the Daily Mirror. “Starmer coughs up £6,000 to pay for his freebies” reports the Daily Mail.

Today in Focus

Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings

The Upside

A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad

More than 200 images captured by a pioneering aerial photographer have been digitised and released by Historic England. Arthur William Hobart’s striking pictures include shots of industrial sites, beaches, and national landmarks such as St Paul’s and Salisbury cathedrals, as well as images of ordinary Britons at home and work.

Says Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, “flicking through these photos lets you take flight over 1930s England, to see the changing face of the country in the interwar period”.

Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday

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