How Starmer leadership could change the UK’s relations with the EU
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00:00Well, the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is someone who opposed Brexit back in 2016
00:04and wanted Britain to remain in the EU.
00:07For more on how his leadership could change the UK's relationship with the EU, I'm joined
00:12on set by our Europe editor, Armin Djordjen.
00:14Armin, there are quite a few areas where we might see a different relationship.
00:18You're going to start with two key issues, security and migration.
00:21Yeah, I think it's worth just reminding everybody quickly that Keir Starmer is not planning
00:27to go back into the single market or the customs union, so we're not going to see
00:31a massive change in the relationship.
00:34But there are areas where there's an expectation of closer cooperation.
00:39On security, yes, Labour is interested in having a security pact with the EU, which
00:45would mean more structured cooperation than what exists at the moment.
00:49And there is this conference of the European political community, which is a kind of bigger
00:55European club in Blenheim Palace in England on July the 18th.
00:59So the UK is actually hosting that European political community event.
01:04And this is where Keir Starmer could obviously set this sort of different tone in relations
01:08with the EU, but also talk about the security pact.
01:12Alison, you mentioned migration.
01:14That's obviously a key issue across Europe and in the UK.
01:20Keir Starmer is saying he'll try to reach an agreement with the EU, a returns
01:25agreement.
01:26So that would mean some cross-channel migrants could be sent back to the EU.
01:29The key question there is, though, will there be a quid pro quo?
01:32So will he be asked then to also take in some EU migrants that have crossed into the EU
01:37from the sea routes into Greece and Italy, for example?
01:41In that sense, he could still be vulnerable, therefore, from the opposition, despite this
01:45huge majority.
01:46But it does kind of open up a flank of attack on him on the whole immigration issue.
01:50But we'll have to see, of course, first how those negotiations go with the EU.
01:54OK.
01:55A security pact, though, definitely sounds like it's on the table.
01:58What other issues might the two sides be a little bit more cautious on?
02:01Well, anything that has to do with the single market is difficult.
02:06So things like mobility or financial services or chemicals.
02:12As I said, labour isn't going to go back into the single market.
02:14But it does see this opportunity for more economic growth in close to ties with the
02:20EU.
02:21But that raises the question of what the EU calls cherry picking.
02:27That's to say British leaders wanting benefits of the EU, but without the responsibilities
02:33that go with those benefits.
02:34And this idea of cherry picking has long been a kind of tricky part of the whole EU-UK relationship.
02:43So Brussels will be looking out for anything like that on the part of the new government.
02:49On Northern Ireland, that's one of the – oh, sorry, we were going to talk about that separately,
02:54weren't we?
02:55Go ahead.
02:56Tell us about Northern Ireland.
02:57I know that's a thorny issue.
02:58Yeah.
02:59So it is one of the thorniest aspects of Brexit.
03:01And there, I think, again, we're going to see some caution.
03:04Keir Starmer says he wants what's called in the jargon an SPS sanitary and phytosanitary
03:10agreement with the EU, which would smooth out trade as well as make life easier for
03:16farmers.
03:17That's all part of this Northern Ireland issue.
03:19But crucially, the EU says if you want that, we might have to get the European Court of
03:24Justice involved.
03:26So a supranational court, which then reopens all these debates about what is Brexit really,
03:32how sovereign is Britain really, and so forth.
03:34So that's going to be another potentially difficult area for Keir Starmer.
03:39OK.
03:40And first meeting, you said July 18th.
03:41Well, that's the EPC at Blenheim Palace.
03:44OK.
03:45We'll get a sense of the tone at that time.
03:47We'll be keeping an eye on it.
03:48Armen, thank you so much for that.
03:50That's our Europe editor there, Armen Georgian.