London (Euractiv) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces rebellion from one of his most senior Labor colleagues over the United Kingdom’s relationship with Brussels.
British Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Sunday that the United Kingdom should strengthen its economic ties with the European Union, remarks that were widely interpreted as a call to rejoin the customs union.
“The best way to grow our economy further is to strengthen trade relations with the EU,” said Streeting. “We have suffered a huge economic blow by leaving the European Union.”
Successive British governments since Brexit have ruled out re-entering the customs union, arguing that it would leave London unable to reach its own trade deals and involve signing up to a raft of EU rules that it would be unable to shape.
Streeting said allowing freedom of movement – an EU condition for full access to the single market – remains a red line for London. However, freedom of movement is not a prerequisite for joining the customs union, as illustrated by the case of Turkey, which participates in a customs union with the EU while its citizens do not have the right to live and work in the bloc of 27, and vice versa.
The Nigel Farage threat
Starmer has repeatedly rejected calls for closer ties with the European Union, aware that his likely main opponent in the next election is Nigel Farage, whose populist, anti-immigration party, Reform UK, is well ahead of the Labor Party in the polls.
Under Starmer, Labor has adopted a stronger stance on immigration and has developed a cautious “reset” in its relations with Brussels, with the aim of improving cooperation in limited areas, such as defense and the Eramsus student mobility programme.
Streeting is not the first member of the Government to raise the idea of returning to the customs union. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy referred to the economic benefits that countries like Turkey derive from membership in the customs union, but Starmer slapped him back. A spokesman for Starmer, quoted by Sky News on Monday, again ruled out rejoining the customs union.
The pro-EU Liberal Democrat party has defended membership in the customs union, but it only has 3% in the polls.
This year, the European Union has closed an agreement with Indonesia and a handshake with Donald Trump, but has missed the deadline with India and has failed to close the agreement with Mercosur.
Instead, the UK struck a trade pact with India and got lower US tariffs than the EU.
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(Edited by cs/Euractiv.com and Luis de Zubiaurre Wagner/Euractiv.es)
