UK PM Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU

LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will meet European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels next week as part of his plans to “reset” UK relations with the EU after Brexit.

Britain’s departure in 2020 from the EU after five decades of membership has had an effect on trade and security cooperation, prompting calls for a rethink on future ties.

Late on Sept 25, Mr Starmer – in New York for the UN General Assembly – posted a photo of himself and Dr von der Leyen.

“I want to reset our relationship with the EU and make Brexit work for the British people,” he wrote on social media platform X, adding that he was “looking forward” to starting discussions with Dr von der Leyen.

The visit will be Mr Starmer’s first to Brussels since

becoming prime minister in July,

and follows bilateral meetings with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

In addition to taking the UK out of the European customs union and single market, Brexit ended the free movement of EU citizens to live and work in Britain.

The EU has proposed a youth mobility scheme for those aged 18 to 30 as part of a potential deal with Britain.

Reports have suggested that Mr Starmer, who voted in a 2016 Brexit referendum to remain in the EU, will try to water down the proposals to avoid anything that could be seen as the reintroduction of free movement.

Mr Starmer, who was Labour’s Brexit spokesman while the party was in opposition, pledged earlier in September that the “reset” would not mean reversing Brexit, which remains a politically toxic subject in Britain.

“I want to be ambitious about what we can achieve within the EU reset,” he said.

“That does not mean going back into the EU, that does not mean going back into the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within that framework.” AFP