Sir Keir Starmer’s ambition for a “reset” with the EU is “vague and aspirational”, Brussels insiders have said – warning there is a risk that the two sides simply go back to “sniping at one another”.
The Prime Minister has made no secret of his desire for a fresh start, pitching himself as the man to rebuild ties after years of post-Brexit wrangling.
However, while his ambitions may sound reasonable in theory, they are likely to prove far more difficult in practice – hampered by political realities on both sides of the Channel.
One EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the i: “There is still an amount of residual scarring from the Brexit days.
“So while we welcome the general improvement in tone, there is no urgency on our side to move things forward unless it is on something concrete – not just vague, aspirational reset stuff.”
Another poured scorn on what he referred to as “hashtag reset”.
One EU diplomat said it was getting to the stage where “real issues” needed to dealt with.
They explained: “There is a risk that we waste a load of time talking about broad ‘reset’ brushstrokes then suddenly find ourselves in 2026, when we have to look at the trade deal again and possibly renegotiate fisheries.
“The worst-case scenario is we relapse to sniping at each other, not coming together on global challenges on which we’re aligned.”
Since the 2016 referendum, UK-EU relations have been characterised by bitter negotiations, from the tortuous process of securing a withdrawal agreement to the last-minute scramble for a trade deal under Boris Johnson.
Key sticking points – such as Northern Ireland, fishing rights, and regulatory alignment – have not disappeared, and Brussels is in no rush to make life easier for London without clear benefits in return.
The unnamed diplomat suggested UK politicians were likely overestimating how much importance officials in Brussels placed on Sir Keir’s attempts to change the tone, stressing: “It really is in the UK’s hands how this plays out.
“We are perfectly happy with the Windsor Framework and (other) deals we have in place, they are perfectly fine for 90 per cent of what we do with the UK.
“There are just much bigger policy issues than the UK for us. We would welcome improvements, of course, but we are not going to bend over backwards or spend political capital.”
Sir Keir insists he has no intention of dragging the UK back into the single market or customs union. Instead, he wants a more cooperative relationship, ironing out practical difficulties and fostering closer economic and security ties.
But the EU will demand concessions in exchange – likely in the form of commitments on regulation, which critics of the Government fear could limit Britain’s post-Brexit freedoms.
Speaking to Politico in December, another EU official spoke disparagingly about the visit to Brussels of Nick Thomas Symonds, Labour’s minister for Europe.
According to one EU official present at the talks, Mr Thomas-Symonds told the MEPs he was hampered by the fact that Reform UK had come second to Labour in 89 constituencies at the July general election.
They added: “He was apologetic – he said he wanted to go further.
“I don’t understand being scared of your own shadow in the first six months of your five year term.”
