That position hasn’t stopped her blasting Farage over the decision to leave, accusing the Reform UK leader of having promised “the moon on a stick.” She’s also declared that “when we left the European Union people were promised more money into the NHS, your living standards will be better — and the opposite has happened.”
Keir Starmer
What about the man himself? Starmer’s position on the EU has shifted several times already. Running for leader in 2019, he pledged to defend the free movement of people. Then, in opposition, he made it a red line, along with staying out of the EU’s customs union and single market. Before taking power, he talked about Brexit as little as possible.
In office, he’s arguably shifted again — making a closer relationship with Europe a defining feature of his stalling premiership.
His current program is to align the U.K. with EU rules in specific sectors of the economy, hoping that it brings trade and economic benefits. An agri-food deal and electricity trading pact are currently being negotiated with Brussels, with talks expected to expand to other areas in the summer.
While free movement is off the table for Starmer, he’s rejoined the Erasmus+ exchange scheme and is pledging to introduce a youth mobility agreement, albeit with a cap on the number of people who can benefit.
For now, the big red lines on the single market and customs union stay. But Starmer last week hinted that he could drop them from Labour’s manifesto at the next general election, which is still three years away.
He’s also coming under pressure from some within his party to ditch them sooner — pressure which will likely build on anyone who ousts him, too.