The new British Prime Minister believes that his country has shown itself to be too “turned in on itself” on the international scene.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would reset its relationship with the European Union, during a press briefing at the NATO summit on Thursday.
“This is a reset of our relationships. I think for many, many people there was a feeling after Brexit that the UK had become too inward-looking,” Starmer told the alliance’s 75th anniversary meeting in Washington.
Starmer previously said the UK would not seek to rejoin the European Union, from which it officially withdrew in 2020.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, meets with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, during his visit to the United States.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, meets with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, during his visit to the United States.
Starmer led Labor to a landslide victory in the July election, becoming the first center-left party leader to win a national election in the UK since Tony Blair in 1997.
During his campaign to become prime minister, Starmer ruled out joining the EU, the single market or customs unions, saying it would only bring “turmoil” to the debate, but he said he wanted to maintain a closer relationship with Brussels.
Brexit deal critic Joe Biden has backed Starmer’s ambitions to bring the UK closer to the European Union.
“I see you as the knot that connects the transatlantic alliance, the closer you are to Europe. We know where you are, you know where we are,” he said during his first meeting with the prime minister last week.
“Resetting” relations within the UK
Starmer met Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who is set to become the European Union’s new chief diplomat, on the sidelines of the recent NATO summit.
He told GB News: “I have been clear with the international leaders here: we want to reset the relationship with each country individually, whether they are in the EU or not, but more broadly, and of course, As this is a NATO summit, NATO is the cornerstone of our defense in Europe, working with European allies on defense has never been more important than at this moment. »
Last week, the Prime Minister traveled to all parts of the UK to “restore” relations with Westminster. He notably visited Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, countries with which tensions have skyrocketed due to border controls imposed by Brexit.
Next week he will meet the Irish and French presidents. The war in Ukraine will be at the heart of the discussions, but immigration and “democracy” will also be on the agenda, in the context of the rise of the far right in Europe.
This article is originally published on observatoiredeleurope.com
