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Sir Keir Starmer declared that Britain is “back on the international stage” as he sought to put the UK at the centre of European cooperation and build closer ties with the continent.
Just 13 days into his premiership, he scored his first major success as European leaders hailed his plan for a new era in post-Brexit relations.
Hosting the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) at a Unesco world heritage site in Oxfordshire, Sir Keir suggested he was open to dealing with the small boats crisis by processing migrants offshore, saying that he is a “pragmatist”.
“Where cases can be processed closer to [their] origin, then that is something which, of course, ought to be looked at,” he said.
Earlier Sir Keir had fired the starting gun on what he hopes will be Britain’s new relationship with the EU, as he opened the fourth meeting of the EPC at Blenheim Palace.
Ahead of the summit, Sir Keir promised to fix Britain’s damaged relations with the bloc for the benefit of “generations to come”.
Opening the event, he said that under his leadership Britain would be “a friend and a partner” to the EU – and, significantly, pledged never to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
The move draws a line under the premiership of his predecessor Rishi Sunak, whose threat to pull out of the international agreement – if legal challenges grounded his controversial deportation flights to Rwanda – led to tensions with other European nations.
The Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, described the election of a new government as a potential “game-changer” for the bloc.
Echoing Sir Keir’s own language as he arrived for the summit of European leaders, French president Emmanuel Macron said it was a “great opportunity for a reset”.
And Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he had the “highest expectations” of the new British PM.
As he sought to strengthen ties between Britain and the continent, Sir Keir urged his fellow European leaders to address the illegal migration “crisis” and to stand firm in support of Ukraine.
In a significant move, it emerged that migrants rescued in the channel on Wednesday night were returned to France by a UK Border Force vessel – the first time this is thought to have happened.
Sir Keir played down the significance of the incident, describing it as an “operational” decision. But sources say other European countries are more willing to discuss challenges around migration with Britain since Labour’s election victory removed the threat of Britain leaving the Convention.
During the summit, the prime minister spoke with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama about Italy’s plan to send migrants to Albania for processing.
He will have dinner with President Macron, with the topic of small boats expected to be discussed, although the French leader ruled out the prospect of a returns agreement between the two countries, insisting that any such deal would have to be negotiated through the EU.
The prime minister aims to help lead Europe-wide efforts to combat people-smuggling gangs. He has pledged £84m in a new overseas aid package to tackle illegal migration “at source”.
Leaders used the meeting to affirm their support for Ukraine. Appearing at the conference, Volodymyr Zelensky urged European leaders to channel Winston Churchill’s “bravery” in the fight against Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian leader made his call as he spoke at the former prime minister’s birthplace, during his third visit to the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
He told European leaders: “Bravery made Churchill Churchill. Bravery won the greatest battle of his life. It was the battle for Britain.
“Now our bravery and cooperation must achieve no less so that the children of our nations can someday look back at us, at what we have done, at what we have chosen, what we have promised, and see the pillars of their peace, their security and their prosperity, just as we see it when we look back at the most famous person from Blenheim.”
Earlier, Mr Harris said that a reset had taken place between the UK and Ireland, describing it as “real” and “meaningful”.
The British and Irish governments have also pledged to meet annually in an effort to “deepen and reinvigorate cooperation” after the two men had dinner at Chequers on Wednesday evening.
Mr Harris said: “I am really pleased to confirm that the reset I have been speaking about in terms of Anglo-Irish relations is real. It is underway and it is meaningful.”
He added: “There’s been a game-changer now. You have a British government that wants to actively talk about a closer relationship with Europe, the importance of multilateralism, staying within the ECHR, working closely with Ireland, talking about language around [being a] co-guarantor of our peace process.
“So it’s a very different landscape to the one we would have been discussing were we standing here only weeks ago.”
Mr Harris said he left the meeting convinced that the prime minister wants a closer relationship with the European Union.
Before their bilateral meeting, Sir Keir and Mr Harris had enjoyed a pint of Guinness, and the prime minister was presented with a Donegal football jersey. Sir Keir presented Mr Harris with a Downing Street whiskey decanter set.
The relationship between London and Dublin has been under severe strain in recent years. Aside from the turbulence caused by Brexit, the Conservative government’s controversial legislation to deal with the legacy of the Troubles was another area of major tension.
