A former French president has urged Sir Keir Starmer to lead Europe from outside the EU after Donald Trump returns to the White House.
François Hollande, who was the president of France from 2012 to 2017, said the UK and EU need each other “to respond to Trump’s offensive and to find solutions for the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East”.
And he said: “Keir Starmer needs to position himself as a European leader, while not being in the European Union. This is what he must sell to the British public.”
Speaking after an event at King’s College London, Mr Hollande added: “Starmer is in a favourable position, one in which he needs to capitalise on the benefits, not only for the United Kingdom but also to the benefit of Europe.”
And, in comments reported by The Times, Mr Hollande warned that the president-elect “only understands relationships based on strength”.
The left-winger, who left power in 2017 deeply unpopular after a term dominated by economic turmoil and questions about his private life, also backed Sir Keir’s ongoing reset with the EU, encouraging the PM to “demonstrate to Europeans that he is a partner again”.
Mr Hollande is now an MP in the French parliament and is considering a second run at the presidency when Macron steps down in 2027.
It came as the governor of the Bank of England said Britain must rebuild relations with Brussels and warned of the economic consequences of Brexit.
Amid fears of a global trade war in Mr Trump’s second term, Andrew Bailey said he had to “point out the consequences” of Brexit, adding that it has “weighed on the level of potential supply”.
“It underlines why we must be alert to and welcome opportunities to rebuild relations while respecting the decision of the British people,” Mr Bailey said.
He added: “The picture is now clouded by the impact of geopolitical shocks and the broader fragmentation of the world economy.”
During the election, Mr Trump unveiled plans to impose 20 per cent tariffs on all imports to the US, with the levy rising to 60 per cent for Chinese imports.
The move would put pressure on UK goods prices, contributing to rising inflation, experts have suggested.
As part of Sir Keir’s reset with the EU, he is set to face fresh pressure to agree a youth mobility scheme with the bloc that would allow young people to live and work freely across Europe for a number of years.
Despite Sir Keir’s insistence that the UK has no intention of agreeing such a deal, official documents show the European Council has tabled a discussion on the issue on Friday.
