Labour's Brexit conundrum
Keir Starmer backs 'twin track' strategy of building closer security ties with EU while ruling out single market, customs union and free movement
![Labour delegate at the 2022 party conference](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wGewyifvgHbn298enVmRfH-415-80.jpg)
A Labour government would seek to strengthen ties with the European Union on common interests but would rule out rejoining the single market, customs union or adopting free movement, according to insiders.
Senior party officials told the Financial Times that Keir Starmer favours a "twin-track strategy" to build closer trade and security ties but will not cross the three Brexit "red lines". Debate is reportedly "raging" about what this new deal might involve.
At the moment, "Brexit barely figures on voters' lists of pressing concerns, with inflation and the economy at the top", said The Guardian. But with recent poll findings showing that 60% of Britons would now vote to rejoin the bloc, Brexit "is likely to be a recurring – and potentially fraught – feature of a Starmer premiership".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What is Labour's position on Brexit?
In the run-up to the 2019 election, Starmer crafted Labour's pledge to offer a second Brexit referendum. But since taking over as party leader in April 2020, he has repeatedly ruled out rejoining the single market or the customs union or adopting free movement.
These three Brexit red lines will form the basis of Labour's manifesto pledge on Europe, said the FT, and give Starmer "political cover for a lower-profile pursuit of co-operation in a range of areas".
The party has left the "door ajar to moving towards a somewhat closer relationship with the single market", said the UK in a Changing Europe think tank. Possibilities raised include mutual recognition of professional qualifications, the introduction of a mobility scheme and minimising regulatory divergence.
Is Labour's position changing?
Labour's top team have recently begun talking about improving the UK-EU relationship, with Starmer and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy making a series of visits to EU officials in recent months. They are "keen to create softer mood music", said The Guardian.
Russia's war in Ukraine is making the need for a security agreement between the UK and EU "more pressing", said Politico.
"It's absolutely fundamental that the United Kingdom and Europe have the closest of relationships and the Brexit era is over, the situation is settled," Lammy told the Munich Security Conference last month.
It is "bizarre" that the UK has "far less political contact with the EU than the Chinese or the Canadians", Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe, told The Guardian. "That is just weird. So I think that's a bit of a no-brainer."
Some Labour insiders are hopeful that regular discussions on security could embrace "broader issues", such as energy, supply chains and migration, said the paper.
What are the criticisms of Labour's position?
Starmer is facing a difficult balancing act. He needs to avoid scaring off Brexit-backing supporters in northern "Red Wall" seats by appearing to soften Labour's stance on rejoining the EU or freedom of movement. But he also has to contend with a significant proportion of voters who, as recent polls suggest, desire closer cooperation with and even re-entry to the EU.
London's Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he found it "frustrating" that Labour had vowed to "respect" the referendum vote. The "bad news" is that it will take "at least a decade before we can even talk about another referendum", he told La Repubblica.
But Labour peer Peter Mandelson believes there is no desire from UK voters to relive the Brexit wars of the past decade. "I cannot see the British people running towards [a referendum] for love nor money after what we went through during the last one," the former EU trade commissioner told a British Chambers of Commerce event last month.
Brussels also wants a more "stable, constructive relationship" with the UK but has no desire for wholesale negotiation of the country's return, he said. "Reopen a negotiation? You've got to be joking!" said The Guardian.
Ultimately, the "soft-Remainer view" that Starmer might be able to negotiate a "superior, closer deal with the EU while remaining outside the single market, is deluded", said Sherelle Jacobs, assistant comment editor of The Telegraph.
"When it comes to 'The B Word', British politics has become gripped by a kind of 'violence of silence'". Politicians and voters alike are "reluctant to confront the fallout from the country's mangled, halfway situation".
"At some point we need to be honest with ourselves," Jacobs concluded. "If, as a nation, we are unwilling to maximally benefit from Brexit by leveraging our freedom, then we should decisively minimise our losses and re-enter the security of the EU fold."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How Black organizations quickly pivoted and mobilized for Kamala Harris
In the spotlight Harris has a shot at being the first Black woman to lead the Democratic ticket
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
King's Speech: is Keir Starmer being too cautious?
Today's Big Question The Labour Party set out its plans for its first year in government
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Labour's first week in power
In the Spotlight The NHS, prisons and housing are at the top of a to-do list which risks crashing into 'wall of economic reality'
By The Week UK Published
-
'Even with the incumbency factor, the center-left can win and win big'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Might sound too good to be true'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Who will be Keir Starmer's allies on the world stage?
Today's Big Question Prime minister heads to Washington to begin building new international relationships
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published