PM crawls back to his EU friends: Starmer now has a plan... to seek closer ties with European Union partners
Sir Keir Starmer was accused of 'shamelessly' using the Iran war to reverse Brexit – as he hinted last night that the UK could rejoin the single market in all but name.The Prime Minister said tackling the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East, which has fractured the UK's relationship with the US, 'requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union'.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he said renewing links to Brussels would create economic and security opportunities that are 'too big to ignore', and that getting closer to the single market was 'hugely in our economic interest'.But last night Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel accused Sir Keir of trying to 'reopen old Brexit wounds' to distract from the economic 'mess' created by Labour.She claimed the PM was 'desperate for someone or something to blame for the terrible failings he has overseen, and has his sights set on Brexit'.Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke accused Sir Keir of 'shamelessly using war in the Gulf to effectively reverse Brexit – just as he always intended'.And Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said it was 'ludicrous' to cosy up to the EU, which he described as 'a failing economic bloc that has a long track record of failing to invest in defence'.Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg – the former minister for Brexit opportunities – urged the Conservatives to make clear they would reverse any attempt to drag the UK back into the orbit of Brussels. Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at Downing Street in London on Wednesday Sir Keir being welcomed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels, Belgium, in October 2024 'Labour are fundamentally wrong about this,' he told the Daily Mail. 'The UK has outperformed the economies of France, Germany and Italy in recent years. 'Our problems are to do with the high price of energy which results from the obsession with Net Zero. Aligning us with economies that are even weaker than ours will not work.'Keir Starmer always wanted to stop Brexit, and it is dishonest to suggest this is any more than another attempt to achieve that.'The Conservative Party and Reform need to be very clear with the EU that whatever Starmer signs up to they will reverse, without compensation.'Senior Labour figures have been pushing the Prime Minister to move much closer to Brussels. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have both indicated support for rejoining the customs union, while London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is pushing for Labour to rejoin the EU.Sir Keir yesterday announced plans for a UK-EU summit this summer, and said he was 'ambitious' about the scope for closer alignment with Brussels.The PM, who claimed at the election that he respected the outcome of the 2016 referendum, said it was now clear Brexit 'did deep damage to our economy'. Smoke rises over a residential area following the US and Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel (pictured) accused Sir Keir of trying to 'reopen old Brexit wounds' to distract from the economic 'mess' created by LabourJoin the discussionDo you think closer EU ties are a smart move or a step backwards?He insisted he would not break Labour's manifesto pledges to stay outside the customs union, single market and free movement. But asked if he saw the country heading back towards the single market, he said: 'The steps we've taken so far have been in relation to the single market, and I'm ambitious that we could do more because I think that's hugely in our economic interest.'Ministers have already agreed the outline of a food and farming deal which will require those sectors to align permanently with the EU's rules, even though Britain will have no control over how future laws are made. The Government has also signed up to rejoin the EU's Erasmus education scheme at a cost of up to £6billion over seven years – three times the amount rejected by former Tory PM Boris Johnson for being too expensive.The Cabinet Office is now raking through the other areas of the economy to identify where the UK could align with Brussels.A Labour source said: 'We want to remove the Tory Brexit barriers that killed growth and hiked prices, replacing the paperwork tax at the border and theirideological fantasy with common-sense economic reality that benefits the continent's economic resilience.'
