According to Keir Starmer, Britain’s prime minister, the United Kingdom has to step up to the heart of Europe to tackle security crises and related migration issues, The Guardian said.
Britain’s Prime Minister, who won the election on 5 July, said Europe and the United Kingdom are heading towards a new branch of the relationship. As the European continent as a whole faces security crises and related migration issues, Britain ought to be at the centre of the continent’s efforts to address them, according to him. On Thursday, Starmer made a statement ahead of a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) at Blenheim Palace, saying the following:
Russia’s barbaric war continues to reverberate across our continent, while vile smuggling gangs traffic innocent people on perilous journeys that too often end in tragedy. We cannot be spectators in this chapter of history. We must do more and go further, not just for the courageous Ukrainians on the frontlines, or those being trafficked from country to country, but so our future generations look back with pride at what our continent achieved together.
In the past, the Labour leader has repeatedly ruled out rejoining the EU, its single market or customs union because as leader of the opposition, he was reluctant to express his pro-European stance for fear of blame for seeking to undo Brexit. After winning the election, the message shifted to a more pro-European-UK engagement. He said:
I said I would change the way the UK engages with our European partners, working collaboratively to drive forward progress on these generational challenges,and that work starts at the European Political Community meeting on Thursday.
The UK and EU’s progress on a new security pact is a first step towards strengthening relations and tackling issues such as the Ukraine crisis. Keir Starmer is considering deals on a new youth mobility scheme and on mutual recognition of certain professional qualifications. In Washington, he also said he had discussed the UK-EU security co-operation arrangement during bilateral meetings at the NATO summit and that the post-Brexit damage repair plan received well by allies.
Prior to the summit, Starmer will host Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris on his first official visit since joining Downing Street and hold a bilateral dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at Blenheim Palace. Macron founded the EPC in 2022 to address issues best dealt with outside formal EU structures.
The United Kingdom is always stronger when working in close collaboration with others, Downing Street said.
