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Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is serious about his post-Brexit reset – but admitted there was a long way to go.
Speaking to The Independent on a flight to Washington DC to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with US president Joe Biden, Sir Keir said he had put the UK’s relationship with Europe at the top of his agenda since Labour swept to power.
“I’m very serious about it,” he said. “I think that’s clear enough from the work we’ve been doing in the last few weeks since the election.
“I made this very clear initially at the Nato summit in Washington with European colleagues then at the summit with the European political community, which we hosted. And then obviously, as you’ve seen, I’ve been twice to Berlin, twice to Paris. I was with the taoiseach [Simon Harris] last Saturday.
“We’re very serious about that. Obviously, we have a long way to go.”
Mr Biden’s administration has said it sees the reset as critical in strengthening its relationship with the UK.
One way to reopen talks with the EU is the resurrection of free movement for under-30s between the EU and the UK, a scheme that features high in a shopping list of demands sent to the prime minister to improve Boris Johnson’s flawed Brexit deal.
Last week, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair told The Independent that he supports adopting the idea, adding: “Obviously, in Europe, I think we should say we’re going to repair that relationship now.”
On Friday, Sir Keir again rejected the plan, which he had previously discussed with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying: “We have no plans for the youth mobility scheme.”
He went on: “I want to be ambitious about the synergy within EU reset. That does not mean going back to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within our framework.”
He insisted that the negotiation “needs to be done in the proper way.”
The Independent has seen a letter to European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds who is heading the talks to improve relations with the EU.
In the missive, on behalf of independent all-party pressure group the European Movement, former defence minister and current chairman of the group Sir Nick Harvey listed six demands:
- Commission an independent forward-looking inquiry into options for the future UK-EU relationship. This can provide space for calmer reflection and take ideological heat out of the debate
- Help keep food prices down by negotiating a UK-EU veterinary agreement to reduce border red tape
- Negotiate a wide-ranging defence and security pact with the EU
- Give our young people back life-enriching opportunities by rejoining Erasmus+ and entering negotiations with the EU on a youth mobility scheme
- Negotiate reciprocal cultural touring visas to save British music, dance, theatre, and supporting industries
- Prevent further unnecessary trade barriers by aligning UK goods and services regulations with EU rules, except if there is an unanswerable case otherwise
In his letter, Sir Nick said: “For over 75 years, the European Movement UK has upheld the principles of cooperation and peace in Europe. We welcome your government’s stated intention to reset our relationship with the EU.
“However, rapid progress is needed if our economy is to grow and if we are to restore lost opportunities to British people.”
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