SIR Keir Starmer last night claimed he could secure a better relationship with Brussels AND sign a trade deal with Donald Trump.
Confronted with the EU’s fresh bid to bind Britain to their yoke once again, the PM said he was “alive and aware” to the danger to our post-Brexit future.
Ben o’ConnerSir Keir Starmer, above with The Sun’s Harry Cole in Estonia, claimed he could secure a better relationship with Brussels and sign a trade deal with Trump[/caption]
PAThe PM rejected accusations he is on the cusp of ‘betraying Brexit’[/caption]
PAStarmer with military personnel on board of HMS Iron Duke[/caption]
But he refused to rule out closer alignment to the bloc in return for softening of trade barriers ahead of formal talks next year.
Yet Sir Keir tried to bat away major fears that seeking closer ties with the EU would scupper any chance of a Brexit trade deal with the less-regulated United States — as well as damaging those already inked like with Australia and Japan.
In a direct plea to Sun readers to trust him, he insisted everyone would be better off – and even that public services would improve – if he was given the chance to “reset” relations with the continent as well as open up new avenues of trade with America.
And he rejected accusations he is on the cusp of “betraying Brexit”, instead saying he would follow the example of Sir Winston Churchill and try ride both horses.
But after leaked European Commission negotiation documents revealed they would demand eye-watering concessions from the UK for a new security pact, the tight lipped premier refused to rule out putting some elements of our sovereignty back on the table.
Despite insisting he would not rejoin the bloc, he left a migration deal in the offing and opened the door to following rulings from the EU court.
Speaking on board of HMS Iron Duke on a visit to the Baltic, the PM said: “We’ve been really clear from the get go that this is not about re entry to the EU, it’s not about going back to the old rules, the single market, the Customs Union, freedom of movement, whatever.
“But within that we do want to reset — I want to make sure that we get a better deal for people, for your readers, so they feel better off, they get better public services.”
“We can do that with a reset. It’s not a reversal, I’ve been really clear about that, whichever way people voted in 2016, we are not going back in.”
Pushed on the EU’s demand that European under-30s should be able to work and travel freely in the UK, and vice versa – the PM opened the door to a deal, saying: “I’ve been clear from the get go that freedom of movement is a red line for us, and no plans in relation to free movement on any level, but we’re entering into discussions.”
And confronted over criticism that closer ties with Brussels would mean taking their rules once again, the PM refused to rule out dynamic alignment with the bloc.
Instead he suggested it would be down to talks next year to decide, saying: “There is going to be a process.”
He added: “We’re only at the beginning of that process, and I do want a better deal for our country and for your readers, but we do have clear red lines.
“We have them in our manifesto and I’ve been really clear in our discussions about that.”
But when pushed by The Sun that so-called dynamic alignment risked blowing up the chance for more global trade, the PM insisted he was “aware and alive to the fact that we’ve got trade deals around the world, and of course, we want to make the most of those and absolutely make sure that we’re not just keeping the existing trade deals we’ve got.”
And he insisted he was keen to strike “additional trade deals on top of that as well.”
We’ve been really clear from the get go that this is not about re entry to the EU, it’s not about going back to the old rules
Sir Keir Starmer
“So we have got to get the balance right here, he added; “we do need to ensure that we’re able to grow our economy, that people feel better off, and they will.”
But returning again to the prospect of concessions to Brussels, he said: “Anybody trading with Europe will probably say, ‘look, we need to be able to trade more easily.”
Despite this, the PM insisted that pivoting back to the EU would not have a negative impact on his hopes of a free trade deal with the United States.
He said: “Of course, we want to have talks with the US, of course we do.
“It’s not an either or… Churchill didn’t say it’s either the US or Europe.”
And he vowed to reopen talks with the incoming White House as soon as possible after they were iced by outgoing President Joe Biden two years ago.
Sir Keir added: “We have got to get the balance right here.
“We early stage of any negotiations but of course I want to ensure we have got trade arrangements with the US and a deal with the US.”
Watch the interview in full on The Sun’s YouTube channel
ReutersThe PM insisted that pivoting back to the EU would not have a negative impact on his hopes of a free trade deal with the US[/caption]
ReutersStarmer speaks with the crew as he tours HMS Iron Duke[/caption]