‘Britain is back’: Keir Starmer vows UK will be at the heart of Europe | Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer has pledged a new era of closer relations with Europe to ensure future generations can look back on “what our continent has achieved together” ahead of a key meeting of EU leaders this week.

Starmer said Europe as a whole was facing security crises and migration issues, and Britain should be at the heart of the continent’s efforts to tackle them.

In his most positive comments about the UK and Europe since campaigning against Brexit and for a second referendum, the prime minister said Europe was “at the forefront of some of the greatest challenges of our time”.

Speaking at a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace on Thursday, he said: “Russia’s barbaric war continues to resonate across our continent, as vile gangs of smugglers ferry innocent people on perilous journeys that too often end in tragedy.

“We cannot remain spectators to this chapter of history. We must do more and go further, not only for the brave Ukrainians on the front lines or for those who are trafficked from one country to another, but so that our future generations can look back with pride on what our continent has achieved together.

“I said I would change the way the UK engages with our European partners, working collaboratively to drive progress on these generational challenges, and that work will begin at the European Policy Community meeting on Thursday.”

Starmer has repeatedly ruled out joining the EU, its single market or its customs union. As opposition leader, he was reluctant to express his pro-Europeanism for fear of being accused of wanting to reverse Brexit.

But now, after his landslide election victory, British and European diplomats are sensing a change in tone. The first step should be to see the UK and the EU move towards a new security pact to better manage issues such as Ukraine.

There is also speculation about the possibility of agreements on a new youth mobility programme and perhaps, in the longer term, on mutual recognition of certain professional qualifications.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had been clear: “The UK is always stronger when it works closely with others.”

A statement said: “The UK government will use the summit to discuss closer collaboration to tackle illegal immigration and greater security cooperation with its European counterparts to keep Britain safe.”

Ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister will host Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris for his first official visit since arriving in Downing Street. The Prime Minister will also host a bilateral dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, after the summit. The EPC was set up by Macron in 2022 to tackle issues that could be better addressed outside the EU’s formal structures.

The CPE meeting comes after an intensification of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Starmer made clear that the UK’s support for Ukraine was guaranteed and that he would use the meeting as a platform to push for continued international military and financial support.

Starmer said in Washington last week that he had discussed a “formal mechanism” for UK-EU security cooperation in bilateral meetings at the Nato summit, and that a plan to repair post-Brexit damage had been welcomed by allies.

President Joe Biden told Starmer: “I see you as sort of the knot that binds the transatlantic alliance together, as you move closer to Europe.”

Starmer said at the end of the summit: “After Brexit there was a sense that the UK had become too inward-looking, that it was no longer as interested as it used to be in its place on the world stage. The UK is confident, it is back.”

Peter Ricketts, former British ambassador to France, said: “Sunak has given Starmer the perfect platform to cement his position as the leading figure in European security, while Biden, Macron and Scholz are all in serious electoral difficulty. In my experience, parliamentary training allows British politicians to chair and negotiate solutions at major meetings, and the FCDO will have prepared the ground well. So this is a real opportunity to show that Britain is back at the centre of diplomacy.”