Sir Keir Starmer: Britain must move closer to EU single market

Britain must align itself more closely to the EU single market as soon as this year, Sir Keir Starmer has declared.

The Prime Minister used his speech at the Munich Security Conference to say Britain will look to grow closer to Europe on economic ties as well as national security.

Sir Keir also attacked Reform UK and the Green Party, as he suggested the country could find itself at war if Reform’s leader Nigel Farage took power.

Britain has already moved closer to Europe under Sir Keir’s leadership, after he moved to strengthen ties with Brussels on the economy, fishing and defence in a “reset” deal last year.

On Saturday, he signalled that he would go further still by seeking greater alignment with the single market, and insisting that Britain must “look again” at its economic relations with Brussels.

Sir Keir said: “This includes looking again at closer economic alignment. We are already aligned with the single market in some areas, to drive down the prices of food and energy.

“We are trusted partners and, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer [Rachel Reeves] said this week, deeper economic integration is in all of our interests. So we must look at where we could move closer to the single market in other sectors as well, where that would work for both sides.

“The prize here is greater security, stronger growth for the United Kingdom and the EU, which will fuel increased defence spending and the chance to place the UK at the centre of a wave of European industrial renewal.

“I understand the politics very well. It will mean trade-offs. But the status quo is not fit for purpose ... I will always fight for what’s best for my country.”

The Labour Party’s 2024 election manifesto ruled out rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union. But Sir Keir said: “We are 10 years on from Brexit, we are not the Britain of the Brexit years. We’re a Britain that wants to work with the EU even more closely in light of the challenge that we face here 10 years on.”

‘The lamps would go out across Europe’

The Prime Minister also claimed that Reform and the Greens represented “the extremes of Left and Right” as he took aim at their foreign policies.

He said: “It’s striking that the different ends of the spectrum share so much. Soft on Russia, weak on Nato, if not outright opposed. And determined to sacrifice the relationship we need on the altar of their ideology.

“The future they offer is one of division and then capitulation. The lamps would go out across Europe once again. But we will not let that happen.”

Mr Farage has been criticised for his past suggestions that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was in part the fault of Nato expansion. He has also opposed plans to send British troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

The Greens have a policy of remaining in Nato, but Zack Polanski, the party’s leader, has been highly critical of the alliance and recently suggested that Britain should eventually seek alternative allies.

In a Q&A session following his speech, Sir Keir said “greater steps forward” on closer ties would come at another UK-EU summit later this year. His remarks follow a week of political turmoil which saw his political survival thrown into doubt over the Mandelson-Epstein scandal.

His entire Cabinet was eventually strong-armed into rallying round his after Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, called for him to resign.

Sir Keir, asked whether recent events in Westminster had “distracted” him, responded: “No, I reject that. I ended the week much stronger than I started it and that’s a very good place to be. And my party and my Government is completely united on the question of Ukraine and defence and security, and the need for stronger relations with Europe, on defence, on security and economy as well.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]