𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer has launched a fresh push to undo Brexit in a bid to cover his “failings” over the Middle East conflict, critics have warned. The Prime Minister announced new plans for closer ties with the EU on Wednesday in response to the impact of Iran’s war.

Sir Keir told the nation from Downing Street that the “volatile” international situation caused by the US-Israeli conflict with Tehran meant Britain’s “long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union”. But Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “Inaction man Keir Starmer is shamelessly using his failure to address the war in Iran as a justification to break another promise and rejoin the single market. This was his goal all along, but Labour refused to be straight with the British people.

“This Government has had more summits than the Himalayas. We need fewer talking shops and a lot more action. Drill in the North Sea, scrap the fuel duty rise and take VAT and green subsidies off energy bills to save households £200. There are no excuses for Starmer to wait.”

Negotiators from the UK and EU will meet this summer to discuss closer ties on food standards and emissions, as well as a youth mobility scheme.

But Remainer Sir Keir suggested a closer security and economic partnership with the European Union was also needed.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Keir Starmer is desperate for someone or something to blame for the terrible failings he has overseen, and has his sights set on Brexit.

“But it’s his own Government that has sent the cost of living up, leaving families £1,000 worse off this year. Labour’s tax hikes and net zero zealotry are causing misery for hardworking people while those on welfare get a bonus courtesy of Rachel Reeves.

“Rather than trying to reopen the old wounds of the Brexit years, Starmer should focus on fixing the mess he has created.”

At the General Election, the party promised not to seek a customs union, rejoin the single market or establish freedom of movement as part of closer ties with the bloc.

But the Prime Minister has spent weeks suggesting that he wanted to “go further” in moving Britain closer to the EU single market as he cranked up his plot to reverse Brexit.

Speaking on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “The manifesto commitments remain, but we made it clear in the manifesto that we wanted a closer relationship with Europe, so that is perfectly consistent with our manifesto.”

Sir Keir has made cosying up to the EU a key mission of his Government despite 17.4million people voting to exit the Bloc.

The Daily Express’s Give Us a Proper Brexit crusade has called for leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), slashing red tape for businesses and enforcing a 12-mile exclusion zone around the UK for British vessels only.

The Labour leader’s new attempts to unwind Brexit come amid a fraught personal relationship with Donald Trump.

The US president has taken aim at the UK and Sir Keir several times over the last few weeks.

Sir Keir previously said he would neither prioritise Europe nor the US, stressing that a strong relationship with both is necessary for the UK.

But he insisted on Wednesday that this had not changed, despite his deteriorating relationship with Trump.

The Prime Minister said: “I’m not going to choose because I think it is in our interest to have a strong relationship with the US and with Europe. But I do think that when it comes to defence and security, energy emissions, and the economy, we need a stronger relationship with Europe.

“I actually think that will help strengthen our relationship with the US, because successive presidents have said that Europe needs to do more on their defence and security.”

He told how Brexit “did deep damage to our economy” and added that “opportunities to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are simply too big to ignore”.

The Prime Minister said this year’s summit with the EU will not just be used to “ratify existing commitments made at last year’s summit”.

He added: “We want to be more ambitious.

“Closer economic co-operation, closer security co-operation, a partnership that recognises our shared values, our shared interest and our shared future.

“A partnership for the dangerous world that we must navigate together, a world where this Government will be guided at all times by the interests of the British people.”