Starmer signals new plan to unpick Brexit harm a decade on from EU referendum
Keir Starmer risks reigniting rows with cabinet members after signaling Britain is ready to “come closer” to the European Union to undo the damage caused by Brexit.
The Prime Minister said the UK needed to align more closely with the EU single market when it came to national interests, adding that “we don’t have to go that far”.
But he poured cold water on the idea of Britain rejoining a customs union with the bloc, days after health secretary Wes Streeting said the arrangement had delivered “tremendous economic benefits”.
Sir Keir said there was a lot of water under the bridge, especially after the UK signed trade deals with the US and India, and those deals would need to be resolved before there could be any customs union agreement.
But he said Britain could go “further” in the single market.
In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg program on Sunday, the Prime Minister highlighted steps agreed last year to bring the UK closer to the EU on agriculture and food, adding: “This is the sovereign decision we have taken.
“I think we have to get closer, and if even closer alignment with the single market is in our national interest then we have to consider, we have to go that far.”
He added: “I think it’s in our national interest to go further.”
On the idea of a customs union, he added: “Why do people ask, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to go to a customs union?’ I understand what you say. In fact, I think that we have now made agreements with the USA that are in line with our national interests, and agreements with India that are in line with our national interests; “I think it is better to look at the single market rather than the customs union to achieve greater harmonization.”
But the prime minister ruled out a return to freedom of movement, a core principle of the EU’s single market, but pointed to plans for a new scheme that would allow young people to come and work in the UK for a set period of time and vice versa.
In response, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel accused the Labor leader of “betraying Brexit”.
“Keir Starmer is desperately trying to accommodate the single market, giving up our freedom to cut regulations and strike our own trade deals to appease backbenchers,” he added.
Ahead of Christmas, No 10 was forced to say it was “very pleased” with the Prime Minister’s cabinet following Mr Streeting’s comments.
In what was seen as a direct challenge to Sir Keir, the health secretary said a “deeper trading relationship” with Europe would boost the UK’s economic growth.
The Labor leader promised a “reset” of UK-EU relations but rejected calls to rejoin the group or become part of the single market or customs union.
But in recent weeks Labor ministers have begun to talk more about the economic costs of Brexit.
A new analysis seen by Independent, It has been revealed that the EU causes the UK to lose up to £90 billion in tax revenue per year.
On Sunday the Liberal Democrats announced they would try to force a new Parliament vote on the customs union by introducing an amendment to the EU Reset Bill, which is expected to be put forward by the government in the coming weeks.
At the beginning of December, more than a dozen Labor MPs voted with the Liberals to call on the government to open negotiations on a new EU-UK customs union.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “Businesses are drowning in bureaucracy and families are paying the price for the terrible Brexit deal the Conservatives left behind. But the Labor government has been very timid so far, only tinkering around the edges when it comes to rebuilding our ties with Europe.”
