British PM recalibrates ties with EU, seeking more consensus

Paris: Though described by European leaders as a “friend and partner”, Keir Starmer, who assumed the British premiership in July, has given no indication of reversing Brexit or rejoining the European single market.

However, eight years after Brexit strained Britain’s relations with the EU, Starmer’s choice of Germany and France for his first visits signals a desire to recalibrate relations, particularly in trade with EU members.

At the 4th meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) held in Britain in July, Starmer indicated readiness to reset Britain’s strained post-Brexit relations with Europe, especially as the region confronts “generational challenges”.

Following the long tradition of viewing Germany as key to improving relations with Europe, Starmer kicked off his EU visit in Germany where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During the meeting, Scholz said that he was “pleased” with the Starmer’s announcement that he would seek a “fresh start” in relations with the EU.

“Given the common challenges our two countries face, we are convinced that the time has come to take our bilateral relations to the next level,” said a joint declaration on deepening and enhancing UK-Germany relations issued during Starmer’s visit.

Both permanent members of the UN Security Council with nuclear weapons, Britain and France maintained frosty relations during the years of Brexit negotiations.

It was not until 2023 that French President Emmanuel Macron and then British PM Rishi Sunak broke the ice with a financial deal on the illegal migration, followed by Britain’s King Charles III’s first-ever state visit to France.

After Starmer’s meeting with Macron on Thursday, the British foreign ministry said that the two leaders “agreed on the importance of further strengthening and broadening the close relationship between the UK and France in the coming months”.

“The reset so far is on atmosphere rather than substance,” Peter Ricketts, chairman of the House of Lords European Affairs Committee, told European news website Euractiv. “It’s focused on goodwill and good intentions, a commitment to working together, and shared interests.”

It’s the right thing for Britain to have good relations with the EU in defense and immigration cooperation and there has to be a renegotiation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Professor Iain Begg from the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Xinhua.

Amid high government debt and sluggish economic growth, it is believed that Starmer was chosen by the British people to “fix” the country’s economic foundation.

A major study by the Resolution Foundation, a leading British think tank, revealed that the British economy has been stagnating for 15 years, leaving low- and middle-income households “much poorer” than their counterparts in advanced economies such as France and Germany.

The British economic outlook remains bleak, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting a GDP growth of just 0.7 percent in 2024 and 1.5 percent in 2025.

According to the British government figures, Germany was Britain’s second-largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of the first quarter of 2024, accounting for 8.5 percent of its total.

Germany and Britain were looking to “place their relations on a completely new footing” by concluding a treaty on bilateral cooperation, Scholz said at a joint news conference with Starmer.

For his part, Starmer said that the upcoming new bilateral cooperation treaty would reflect “our status as the closest of partners in Europe” and closer links in science, technology and business would strengthen trade ties with Germany while creating jobs both in Germany and Britain.

Describing economic growth as his government’s top priority, Starmer said, “building relationships with our partners here in Germany and across Europe is vital to achieving it.”

During his short stay in France, Starmer also met with business leaders. “My Labour government will provide the economic stability needed for international business to invest in the UK. When business thrives, we all do,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Before the bilateral summit held in 2023 that fixed the frosty relations, Britain and France had clashed over issues including French fishermen’s fishing licenses, illegal migration through the English Channel, and Australia’s decision to cancel the submarine contract with France for British nuclear-powered alternatives.

Although economic growth has been declared as a priority of his government, Starmer seemed to focus on another more urgent issue in discussions with Macron — illegal migration.

Following his visit to France, the two sides reaffirmed their desire to deepen cooperation on illegal migration in the English Channel, not least in the face of human trafficking rings.

During the 2023 bilateral summit, France and Britain reached a controversial new deal to combat illegal migration across the channel, under which London would pay Paris millions of euros from 2023 to 2026, and a detention center should be built in northern France.

British government statistics showed that between Aug 25 to 31, 2024, 1,758 irregular migrants attempted to cross the channel in small boats without permission to enter Britain.

According to British journalist Philip Turle, the France-Britain relationship has been strained for years over the crossing of illegal migrants through the channel.

“Those who voted for Brexit believed that it would allow better control of immigration. They saw clearly that it had no effect,” Turle told news channel France24. “The challenge for the British as well as for the Europeans is to work better with the countries of origin to reduce these migratory flows.”

Turle noted that Starmer’s visits were also a way of expressing his worries over the rise of the far right in Europe, especially after riots on home soil, the French far-right wing party’s win of more seats in the National Assembly, and rocking support for right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after recent attacks.

But for Begg, Starmer’s trips to Germany and France were not just visits to Berlin and Paris.

They aim to establish stronger relations with a big neighbor, a key trading partner, and an important source of potential cooperation on critical issues, including illegal migration and direct investment into their countries, he said.