Keir Starmer has done more to repair relations with the EU since he became UK prime minister in early July than the previous Conservative government had achieved over the eight years since the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
Starmer visited Berlin and Paris this week in an attempt to deepen ties with the EU’s two biggest member states. He held preliminary talks with German chancellor Olaf Scholz on a co-operation agreement covering energy security, defence and migration.
This followed another recent positive development in Labour’s legislative programme for the next parliament. The Product Safety and Metrology Bill enables the maintenance of regulatory alignment with the EU by recognising updates in regulations across the union. The previous Conservative government had introduced the Retained EU Law Bill, which enabled the UK to disapply EU laws as part of a strategy of regulatory divergence to reap the supposed benefits of Brexit.
Much greater regulatory alignment with its biggest trading partner will improve the prospects for the British economy. The new bill should also ease political tensions in Northern Ireland.
If regulatory divergence between the UK and EU had increased, it would have stoked even greater tensions. However, if Labour pursues a strategy of regulatory alignment with the EU, it greatly eases any potential friction in trade between Britain and Northern Ireland.
There are limits to Labour’s moves towards rapprochement. Starmer rules out holding another referendum on EU membership. That is understandable given the instability created by the 2016 referendum. But he also opposes rejoining the single market or customs union, even though a majority of British people favour such a move.
During the week Starmer said that the forthcoming budget would be “painful” due to the parlous state of the country’s finances. Rejoining the single market and customs union would provide a much-needed economic boost. However, politically it remains, for now at least, a step too far.