Sir Keir has finally gone on the record in public saying that the United Kingdom must ‘face the reality’ that the Brexit agreement ‘significantly damaged’ the economy, and argued that the country must continue to move closer to the European Union (EU) to boost growth.
He said: “Wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled. We are still dealing with the consequences today.” The message points to a change of position in the ruling Labour Party, which was once openly pro-European but had so far avoided addressing Brexit so as not to risk losing votes, as it remains a red line for a large part of the electorate.
While the conservative right and the populists maintain their rejection of European structures, the Liberal Democrats – the third largest parliamentary force – and the rising Green Party are advocating a new rapprochement with the EU. And this is simple common sense and it is an approach which has been welcomed by the European Union, in particular Spain.
According to the British Ambassador to Spain, Sir Alex Ellis, economic and political relations between the two countries have never been so strong as a result of a recent “reset” meeting and subsequent plans agreed between the two. But how far is Starmer going to push it? Will the focus simply be on trade or will it also be on the welfare of expats and millions of overseas British voters.