October 3, 2024 - 7:00am
Following her ruthless consolidation of power, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had her first formal meeting with Keir Starmer yesterday, to discuss a possible reset in relations between Britain and the European Union.
Keenly aware of the Faragist threat to pro-Brexit constituencies in the North and Midlands, Starmer has been keen to stress that Britain will not rejoin the Single Market, nor will he re-subscribe the country to freedom of movement with the EU. In this way, the PM hopes to demonstrate his fealty to the result of the 2016 referendum and Britain’s formal withdrawal from the Union in 2020.
The Labour government’s persistent and forceful stress on the need for a “reset” in relations between London and Brussels is obviously intended to call into question the diplomatic record of the previous Tory government. At the same time, however, it indicates that whatever Starmer’s protestations about not rejoining the Single Market, the Labour Party’s first instinct is still pro-European. By suggesting that the need for a reset is entirely the fault of the previous British government, Starmer is also suggesting that the EU does not bear any responsibility for the poor state of those relations but rather, like Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, von der Leyen can do no wrong, nor without cause will she be satisfied.
Suggesting the EU is without fault for the parlous state of cross-Channel relations indicates that our Prime Minister still thinks of the UK as a vassal of the EU rather than as an independent nation-state. However just the criticisms of the Tory record in government may be, by crawling to Brussels in this way,Starmer is indicating that he still esteems the bureaucrats of the Commission more highly than the politicians — elected by British citizens — who sit opposite him in the British Parliament.
Given how willing the Labour leader is to publicly abase himself before the EU in this way, it is ironic that in many respects he is in fact continuing the record of the Tory government under Rishi Sunak. The former PM also made concessions to the EU by giving Brussels de facto oversight over intra-UK trade when he signed up to the 2023 Windsor Framework, which governs relations between Britain, the EU and Northern Ireland. Similarly, by consolidating cross-Channel security cooperation in order to prop up Nato’s faltering proxy war in Ukraine, Starmer is simply extending the same Tory policy of alignment with Brussels.
This does not bode well for the defence of Britain’s interests over fishing rights and energy trading, which are two sticking points left over from the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Thus far, Labour has batted away the mooted “youth mobility deal” to allow European young people to travel and work across both the EU and UK. Given that Europe’s youthful middle classes — so many of whom are under or unemployed and/or living at home — will benefit more from greater access to the UK labour market than the other way around, it is still possible that Starmer will sign up to some version of this scheme in future, too.
There are also Labour’s voters to be reckoned with. Having already lost so much momentum in only a few months in power, Starmer’s collapsing public authority will force him to fall back onto his core electors — that is to say, metropolitan liberals and the professional middle classes. Heedless of news from across the Channel as only the English liberal middle classes can be, Labour’s core voters will always happily trade independence away to the EU, irrespective of the dire state of German industry or the precipitous fall in French bonds. For all these reasons, we can rest assured that this will not be the last time Starmer pays obeisance in Brussels.
Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor of International Relations at the Institute of Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London. He is author or editor of eight books, as well as a co-author of Taking Control: Sovereignty and Democracy After Brexit (2023). He is one of the hosts of the Bungacast podcast.
thephilippics
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
SubscribeI think this article is a little paranoid in tone. I think Starmer, just like his Tory predecessors, is trying to have his cake and eat it too: just in his own unique way.
The mood music emanating from the Labour camp might be nicer but in terms of what the EU will ask in order to have a better deal are beyond what Starmer can offer without completely trashing the public support he would need to have a reasonable chance at a second term. Public support which was grudging anyway and is now even lower thanks to the freebies scandal.
So, despite certain Brexiteers getting lathered up, nothing will really change between the UK and the EU. Starmer will end up being even less liked in the UK and snubbed in Brussels and Queen Ursula will just step primly over his political corpse.
Apart from giving top jobs to financiers in London and freebie jobs to old Kinnock-types, I don’t think that the EU has ever done anything good for the UK. Why Two-Tier would want to smarm-up to Ursula is beyond my understanding. Maybe I would feel differently if I lived in London.
maybe Starmer should be considered an “old Kinnock type”. A nice freebie EU Joe waiting for him in 2030 perhaps.
And so despite UK doing almost 50% of all it’s trade with the EU the Author thinks wise to continue an adversarial, performative relationship. Good diplomacy is not done via Right wing websites. Might get you a few cheers on such websites but doesn’t do anything for the UK economy.
It was predicted that once UK became a third party to the EU the dynamic would be v different and so it has played out. Moaning about the EU being ‘mean’ to us is pathetic. Where did the Brexiteers say the wonders of their project depended on the EU being nice to us and allowing us to cherry pick? Gormless.
Now if the twaddle about striking great trade deals with US, India etc had fundamentally shifted the position on UK trade then just perhaps a slightly more adversarial position might have some merits, but didn’t happen did they…as predicted.
Yawn.
I believe the figure of 50% you refer to is for UK imports from the EU. It might actually be a little more than that. I think it would be necessary to include exports in the calculation in get a figure that reflects all UK trade with the EU. Exports stand at a little over 40%
Was both imports and exports. The latter bit higher than former now.
Which kind of destroys your entire argument.
Does the export figures take into account the Rotterdam Carry trade numbers or is it a net figure?
What is this supposed “adversarial relationship” ?
We came to a withdrawal agreement with the EU which is being followed.
Please provide some actual evidence when you make such claims. Othwerise it’s just a slogan !
What are the current disputes ? How serious are these ? Are they any greater than those we had whilst in the EU ? Or amongst other EU countries internally today ? Is Britain any more “adversarial” towards the EU today than Hungary ? Or Poland ?
Article and Author clearly implying the more recent approach involves too much bending the knee, including Windsor agreement. Not entirely sure what they are suggesting as alternative – Bojo’s famous ‘take it or leave it’ bargaining ploy? Or maybe a few more amphibious expeditions onto Dutch coastline?
We’re going to see how things play when TCA up for reneg/renewal next year. Maybe go ask our fishermen and farmers how good it’s all gone and what they’d welcome now.
So you have no evidence to back up this “adversarial” claim then ? Or to suggest that the UK’s relationship with the EU is any worse at present than Hungary’s ?
Delusional crap.
It’s not that good.
Oh look Keir keeps using the word Reset. I wonder why?
The EU is very much the “managed decline” options these days.
It had hopes of being the largest trading bloc in the world. Yet it’s in population decline, with the US and India still growing. It’s in continued relative decline vs the US, China and India.
It claimed it would be a diplomatic superpower. In pratice, it’s irrelevant.
It claims to aspire to being a military power. Again, it’s irrelevant.
All it’s really doing is managing Europe’s relative economic, diplomatic and military decline.
I’m not sure Starmer’s either bright enough or capable of learning that he can’t achieve the things he claims he wants to improve in the UK while tightly shackled to the deadweight of the EU.
Pretty soon AI is going to be built into everything – the EU’s hostile regulatory environment will drive investment and growth to the US, leaving Europe even further behind. Along with the UK, if our catastrophically dim governing class don’t wake up quickly.
Bright enough? He’s dim as ditchwater and bl**dy dangerous
Keir Starmer has a history of bending the knee.
I wonder what cause will be next?
He’s just another signed up Atlanticist. Nothing special. But as Washington instigated the EU and approved its rules including the Euro, no problem for them apart from Martinson now over there who believes Starmervhad to keep red wall Brexiteers onside. She needs to get up to date, half have given up and the other half have joined Reform. Labour’s not on their wish list, and they’re not that important anyway. Move on, make something happen.
Hey, the seats in this lifeboat are a bit hard on the old derrière, doncha think? I know, let’s get back on the Titanic.
From where I stand he’s not serious about getting on terms with the EU except war stuff. He needs to get us access to EU markets and mobility asap or we’ll continue to lack the investment we need.
We have easy access to EU markets – and trade is up on both directions. If you want UK investment to increase, then distance from the worst EU regulations is what is needed.
One sinking ship to another; welcome aboard.
The greatest geopolitical fact during my life has been the decline of Europe, including the UK.
I’m no fan of the EU as such, but if he’s going to be bending the knee to foreign belief-systems, the EU is preferable to some racist mutation of Marxism.
This bloke is gutless..no ideas, no gumption, no leadership, no character, vitriolic dislike doesn’t come close. Giving the money back? Does he think that clears it all nicely? Of course he does!! Morally vacuous. Stop giving him airtime.