Starmer first PM to join EU leaders' meeting since Brexit

Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Brussels to attend a meeting of EU leaders, marking the first time a UK Prime Minister has attended such a meeting since Brexit. Starmer's trip will focus on discussions regarding defense and security cooperation and will include a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

This visit is part of what Starmer has called a "reset" of the UK's relationship with the EU. The UK government has committed to not rejoining the EU's single market or customs union, nor signing a free movement of people agreement. However, cabinet ministers are hoping for a better relationship on defense and security, crime, and trade. They are aiming to resolve these issues in the spring, with a view to finalizing them at a UK-EU summit, potentially in April or May.

The leaders of the 27 EU member states will gather at the Egmont Palace in Brussels for what is described as an "informal retreat." The backdrop to the meeting is clear: the war in Ukraine continues, and Donald Trump is potentially returning to the White House. The EU recognizes it needs to take greater responsibility for its own defense, a key demand that President Trump has made repeatedly, threatening import taxes or tariffs on the EU.

The Prime Minister stated, "President Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia, and clearly, this is unsettling Putin. We know he is worried about the Russian economy. I'm here to work with our European partners to continue to apply pressure, targeting energy revenues and companies supplying his missile factories, to break Putin's war machine. Because ultimately, alongside our military support, that will bring peace closer."

The UK is also exploring closer ties with the EU in combating serious organized crime and crucially, on trade. Discussions are ongoing about allowing freer trade in food and animal products, and cooperation on energy, potentially including a link between the UK and EU emissions trading schemes. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and allowing touring musicians to travel more easily are also topics of interest. Many within the EU are keen on a youth mobility scheme, allowing young people from the UK and EU to travel more easily. But for some, such a scheme sounds too much like free movement of people, albeit for a small section of the population, and would therefore be difficult to sell politically in the UK. Moreover, given the relative sizes of the EU and the UK, more young people from the EU would likely come to the UK than vice versa. Cabinet ministers have so far rejected the idea.

The EU has also raised the idea of the UK joining what is known as the "Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention." This is not quite a customs union but removes tariffs on components in products that come from other signatory countries. Significantly, the UK has not ruled out signing up to this, with the government not viewing it as a breach of its red lines. Some industries, such as the car industry with its "just in time" supply chains, would welcome this, but other manufacturers would face greater competition.

The UK's technical lead negotiator is Michael Ellam, who worked in Downing Street when Gordon Brown was Prime Minister. Ellam's task is to manage the "EU Relations Secretariat" within the Cabinet Office, set up by the Prime Minister shortly after the election to lead his planned "reset" with the EU. As the negotiations continue, Starmer knows he faces political pressure from both sides. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has claimed that "a Labour government is trying to reopen old wounds and drag us back into the EU." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has stated that the government should be negotiating to rejoin the customs union.