It is nearly a decade since the UK voted to leave the EU but Brexit is once again back on the political agenda, as Keir Starmer seeks a “reset” in relations and new terms for Britain’s trading relationship with the bloc.
“We’ve been really clear from the get-go that this is not about re-entry to the EU,” the PM told The Sun. But it’s clear he does want a softening of trade barriers. “I want to make sure that we get a better deal for people,” he said, so that “they feel better off, they get better public services”.
Pushed on the possibility that he might agree, in return, to an EU demand for a free-travel agreement for under-30s, Starmer said that “freedom of movement is a red line for us, and we have no plans in relation to free movement on any level, but we’re entering into discussions”.
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What did the commentators say?
The EU’s negotiation “blueprint”, leaked to The Times last week, included a plan “to make the UK accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ)” a prerequisite “for a better trading relationship”. Among other key concessions that EU leaders will demand are a new fishing deal and a youth mobility scheme, said the paper.
The quest for a reset is going to require Starmer “to do some politically difficult things, which will undoubtedly anger the Conservatives and Reform,” Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, told The Times. But “if it can be negotiated”, it could set up the stage for “much closer co-operation across a range of other areas, such as energy, that would be mutually beneficial”.
The leaked EU documents reveal Brussels is preparing to “drive a hard bargain” and “name a high price”, in exchange for granting the British PM improved terms on defence, security and trade, said Arj Singh, deputy political editor of the i news site.
According to the Financial Times, the EU’s “tough red lines” include “an early deal on fishing rights” and sticking firmly to a “‘no cherry-picking’ mantra”.
The UK government has repeatedly said it would not rejoin the EU’s customs union or single market, or accept free movement, but a Number 10 spokesperson on Monday refused to rule out a role for the ECJ.