Keir Starmer has been accused of “undermining Brexit” and the will of the people with his plans to hire an EU negotiator to reset Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
The role, which comes with a whopping £200,000 per year salary will focus on leading discussions with the trading bloc as the Prime Minister continues to strengthen Britain’s relationship with them.
Starmer has made no secret of his desire to “reset” Britain’s relationship with the EU and has made several high-profile trips to EU countries and summits since his election in July.
But the plan to hire an additional bureaucrat has caused fury amongst senior figures in the Conservative party who have blasted the direction of travel under the new Prime Minister.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel MP said: “Keir Starmer continues to undermine Brexit and our status as a sovereign nation with his plan to take the country back into the EU.
“The Conservative Party will not stand by and allow the will of the British people be reversed while Labour arrogantly capitulates to the EU.”
Labour says the new approach will tackle trade barriers, address people-smuggling, and enhance cooperation with allies to counter threats such as Russian aggression.
Labour sources have dismissed the idea that the move is an attempt to reverse Brexit, with the Prime Minister stating on the record that he has no plans to re-enter the customs union or single market.
A Labour source said: “There will be no return to the EU, customs union, single market or freedom of movement.”
In October, Keir Starmer pledged to “make Brexit work” at a meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
But any reset of relations with the EU is likely to require Britain making concessions including the acceptance of migrants or some form of freedom of movement.
Speaking at the time Starmer said: “Better cooperation with the EU will deliver the benefits the British people deserve – securing our borders, keeping us safe and boosting economic growth.”
According to the Times, Ms von der Leyen will want the UK to agree to a new asylum pact from 2026 which will see member states resettle a set number of asylum seekers. It is believed that this figure could be as many as 30,000 per year.
It is also believed that the EU will push the idea of a youth mobility scheme, something it sees as simple to implement and a gesture of goodwill.
One EU official told the Guardian: “The commission mainly wants to see if Starmer is willing to engage on the detail of a youth mobility scheme. If he shows a willingness to do so, that could unlock a lot of other ‘low-hanging fruit’ such as a defence deal.”
