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Keir Starmer is set to launch his great Brexit reset with what he admits is “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to fix the harms caused by leaving the European Union.
The prime minister will hold a summit with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Wednesday aimed at boosting business and trade, deepening defence and security cooperation, and increasing joint action on illegal migration.
However, the negotiations with the most influential and powerful member state in the EU are the first step in recalibrating Britain’s deal with the EU in a range of areas including trade and cross-border cooperation.
The prime minister has ordered his team to finalise the UK/German treaty in the next six months with the ambitious agreement expected to cover science, innovation and technology, clean energy, trade across the North Sea, supply chain resilience, energy security and green transition education, biodiversity, and the environment.
Sir Keir fought the election on a promise that he would “make Brexit work” by renegotiating the flawed deal agreed upon by Boris Johnson and the Tories. It comes as he has warned the country that he has hard decisions to make to “fix the rot” left by the Tories.
And after a summer of travel misery for UK citizens held up at passport checks trying to take their holidays in the EU, the government has been warned that new red tape set to be imposed by the EU will make things even worse. The boss of the Port of Dover warned The Independent that it will not be able to cope this Easter.
Before flying out on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir made a keynote speech on the state of the nation warning that the Tories had left a legacy worse than had been feared. He repeated claims about a £22bn black hole in the finances and warned that along with cuts already announced it will lead to a “really painful budget in October”.
With rises expected on capital gains tax and inheritance tax, there is an expectation Labour is set to embark on a series of wealth taxes.
The prime minister also warned that the summer riots by the far right had shown that the social fabric of Britain had been left rotten and that it was the task of his government to turn the country around.
Fixing the Brexit deal has been high on his agenda, although little detail has emerged over what Sir Keir hopes to achieve in terms of specifics.
Sir Keir has appointed European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds to lead the negotiating team to reset Britain’s deal with the EU.
Before the summer, the prime minister also hosted the European Police Council at Blenheim Palace just days after his first international outing as PM at the Nato conference, where he was able to start the process of building relationships with senior EU leaders.
Already, Sir Keir has struck a close relationship with the German chancellor and was his guest in Berlin when England’s men played in the final of the Uefa European Championship.
As part of Labour’s plan to reset relations with Europe, the prime minister is expected to tell Mr Scholz that he will “fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government” – something he said will lead to improved growth and better control over Britain’s borders.
The government said the new UK-Germany treaty will build on the defence agreement currently being negotiated between the two countries.
The prime minister’s negotiating team will spend the next six months agreeing on the new treaty, with both sides hoping to finalise the partnership in early 2025.
The agreement is expected to cover increased collaboration over market access, critical science, innovation and tech, clean energy, trade across the North Sea, supply chain resilience, energy security and green transition education, biodiversity, and the environment.
The Labour leader, who has promised to fix Britain’s damaged relations with the bloc for the benefit of “generations to come”, will head to Paris from Berlin for the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday night, before meeting French business leaders on Thursday morning.
His European visit comes just days after the boss of the Port of Dover warned that post-Brexit checks could leave the major transport hub paralysed.
Chief executive Doug Bannister said tough incoming EU red tape could leave the port unable to cope with passenger demand beyond Easter next year when tougher border protocols come into force.
The Dover CEO said the new infrastructure will be sufficient for the expected flows “from when EES [the European Entry/Exit System] is introduced in November through to about Easter”. But, he warned, “it will be inadequate for handling the full volume of traffic that we’re anticipating for next summer”.
