Labour hopes to deepen economic ties with Europe outside EU’s structures

Keir Starmer, who visited a Siemens Energy plant on Wednesday during his trip to Berlin, reiterated that growth was his government’s ‘number one mission’. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AP

Before a whistlestop European tour to Berlin and Paris, Keir Starmer promised to mend “the broken relationships left behind by the previous government” and drive forward UK economic growth.

Changing the tone with European leaders is the easy bit. Changing the substance – especially finding new arrangements to boost growth – is a much taller order.