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The Independent

UK politics live: Starmer urged to be ‘bold' in Brexit reset talks ahead of crunch meeting

Sir Keir Starmer 's government has been urged to be 'bold in its offer to the EU ' in order to 'maximise benefits' from his reset plans, as MPs criticised his 'secretive' approach. As the prime minister prepares to host the first UK-EU summit on Monday, where he hopes to make significant progress on a deal, a cross-party group of MPs warned that his efforts were being hampered by a 'perceived absence of a strategic vision'. In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the lack of a 'compelling political narrative' had left those outside Westminster unclear about British policy and unconvinced of the 'strategic importance' of making the reset a success. Urging the government to be bolder, committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'We should be clear about what it is that we want and act with a little less caution and a lot more confidence. If we do this, there is every reason to believe the EU will respond positively.' Starmer urged to be 'bold' in Brexit reset talks ahead of crunch meeting Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to be 'bold' in Monday's upcoming talks over his sought-after Brexit 'reset' deal with the EU. Ahead of the prime minister's first UK-EU summit on Monday, MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee warned that the government's 'secretive' approach to negotiations may have harmed its efforts. In a letter to Sir Keir, the MPs insisted that public support for closer relations with Europe meant the government had space to be 'bold in its offer to the EU' in order to 'maximise benefits' from the negotiations. The committee said: 'We are concerned that such a piecemeal and secretive approach to these EU negotiations not only complicates public and parliamentary scrutiny of the reset, but could also negatively affect the impact, stability and durability of its outcome.' Committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'We should be clear about what it is that we want and act with a little less caution and a lot more confidence. If we do this, there is every reason to believe the EU will respond positively.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 00:01