Latest news with #DameEmilyThornberry
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UK-EU reset live: Starmer insists post-Brexit deal will be ‘good for our borders' ahead of crunch summit
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.' Britons to whizz through EU passport queues, minister suggests Mr Thomas-Symonds, who is in charge of Britain's post-Brexit reset with Brussels, has suggested Britons will be able to whizz through EU queues on holiday as part of the reset deal. In a boost to travellers, the Europe minister confirmed he has been pushing his EU counterpart to allow UK arrivals in the bloc to use its passport lanes. He stopped short of confirming it has been agreed, cautioning that 'nothing is agreed until everything is'. But he told Sky News: 'We want British people who are going on holiday to be able to go and enjoy their holiday and not be stuck in queues.' Sam Rkaina18 May 2025 09:10 Brexit status quo 'isn't working for British people', Europe minister says The Brexit status quo 'isn't working for the British people', Sir Keir Starmer's Europe minister has said. Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News the government is 'pushing everything to the limit and negotiating very hard' to reset Britain's trading relationship with Europe. 'That's exactly what the British people would expect of us,' Mr Thomas-Symonds said. But, amid last-minute wrangling with the EU over thorny issues such as fishing and tuition fees, he warned that 'nobody can guarantee' a deal will get over the line. He added: 'We want to emerge with a deal that we can say makes our borders more secure, is good for jobs and growth and is bringing people's household bills down. 'That is what is in our national interest, and that's what we'll continue to do over these final few hours.' Sam Rkaina18 May 2025 09:02 Starmer will negotiate 'in the national interest', government insists With Tory leader Kemi Badenoch expressing concern about the nature of the talks, claiming that 'whenever Labour negotiates Britain loses', a UK government spokesperson insisted that Sir Keir would 'negotiate in the national interest'. The spokesperson said: 'No final agreement has been made. We are not providing a running commentary on our discussions with the EU; these are ongoing and cover a wide range of issues. 'We have been clear that we will always act in the national interest to secure the best outcomes for the UK.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 07:00 Any deal with EU not a 'one off', says Rachel Reeves Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that any deal secured on Monday would not be a 'one off' but a 'step towards' closer partnership with Europe in further areas. In an interview on Friday, the chancellor insisted that the government would stick to its 'red lines' but suggested that an agreement on Monday could herald deeper cooperation with the EU. 'We think that because of the trust we built, we can get a better deal. The European Union have understood from the beginning those red lines,' Ms Reeves told The Guardian. 'I am ambitious for our future. This isn't a one-off. There will be things that we achieve, some concrete outcomes on Monday, but there will also be a step towards where we want to go next between our countries. 'And I see that as a journey, not that what happens on Monday is the end; there will be future areas where we can do more.' 18 May 2025 06:00 Starmer told to be more ambitious with EU reset to tackle Brexit 'suffering' The Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee has urged Keir Starmer to be 'courageous' in resetting his relationship with Europe to tackle the 'suffering' caused by Brexit. In an interview with The Independent, Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'We should be going further than the government currently seems to have the ambition for doing.' She warned there was a 'compelling case... of the amount that the country is suffering as a result of having put trade barriers between Europe and Britain, (which) means that our growth has been severely compromised'. To tackle the problem and tear down some of the barriers, such as the need to check goods coming into the country meet certain standards, she said ministers should be more relaxed about the issue. 'I would like us to be much more relaxed about goods having the same sort of regulation… if we just agree the same kind of standards, not just for food, but generally, I think that would make life much easier.' Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports: Starmer told to be more ambitious with EU reset to tackle 'suffering' of Brexit Labour prime minister, set for 11th-hour Brexit reset talks with Macron and Ursula von der Leyen to secure crucial deal, faces calls to be more ambitious Andy Gregory18 May 2025 05:00 Starmer accused of shutting foreign press out of Monday's summit Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of shutting European news outlets out of his much-hyped EU-UK summit on Monday. With the prime minister set to unveil his post-Brexit reset plans alongside Brussels leaders, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has said 'almost every European news outlet' with a foreign correspondent in London has been denied access to the summit. In a letter sent to Downing Street the FPA, which represents foreign journalists based in the UK, said: 'Sir Keir Starmer, you state that you want a reset with the EU. You organise a summit between the UK and the EU to restart the relationship. 'Yet you deny accreditation to almost every European news outlet who has a foreign correspondent in London, leaving out the biggest news agencies, the most important papers, the most trusted broadcasters.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 04:00 Starmer vows closer EU ties will be good for jobs and living standards Sir Keir Starmer has said that closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK's jobs, bills and borders ahead of a London summit on Monday at which he could announce a deal with the bloc. The prime minister said: 'In this time of great uncertainty and volatility, the UK will not respond by turning inwards but by proudly taking our place on the world stage – strengthening our alliances and closing deals in the interests of British people. 'First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that's jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising. More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses. 'Tomorrow, we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union. It will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders. 'That's what the British people voted for last year, and it's what my government will deliver.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 03:00 Starmer gives new hope for EU youth mobility scheme Sir Keir Starmer has defended his planned youth mobility scheme with the EU, insisting it does not cross Labour's red line on freedom of movement and will be good for 'working people'. Ahead of its announcement at the UK-EU summit in London on Monday, he said a youth mobility deal is 'not freedom of movement'. The deal, a key part of the prime minister's post-Brexit reset of relations with Brussels – as reported by The Independent on Wednesday – will be a 'really significant moment', Sir Keir added. Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports: Starmer gives new hope for EU youth mobility scheme ahead of Brexit reset Sir Keir Starmer has suggested youth mobility would not break Labour's red lines, ahead of a UK-EU summit in London on Monday Andy Gregory18 May 2025 02:00 What have been sticking points in talks with EU? In a last-minute row in the talks with the EU, it was reported on Friday that EU member states were demanding that EU students should pay lower British tuition fee rates for universities, which could cost the UK an estimated £1bn. French president Emmanuel Macron was also leading a charge for demands that EU fishermen can fish in British waters as part of a deal to allow trade barriers to be removed. Added to that, there were criticisms that there is a lack of ambition in a proposed youth mobility scheme for 18 to 30-year-olds, with claims the UK cap on the number of people who could come here are too low for the liking of EU member states. The youth mobility scheme was reported by The Independent on Wednesday to be a key part of Sir Keir's reset plans, with a senior government source saying the strategy 'driven' by the PM would anger 'the two extremities' of the Brexit debate but 'most will see it as a good deal'. Andy Gregory18 May 2025 01:30 Watch: Starmer meets von der Leyen in Albania in 11th hour Brexit reset talks
The Independent
17-05-2025
- Business
- 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
The Independent
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Starmer told to be more ambitious with EU reset to tackle ‘suffering' caused by Brexit
The Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee has urged Keir Starmer to be 'courageous' in resetting his relationship with Europe to tackle the 'suffering' caused by Brexit. Dame Emily Thornberry, who was a member of the prime minister's shadow cabinet in opposition, said economic growth had been 'severely compromised' by trade barriers created by the UK leaving the EU. Brexit is on course to cost 4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product a year, according to official statistics from the government's Office for Budget Responsibility. The Labour leader is scrambling to avert a crisis facing his much vaunted Brexit reset deal with the EU, due to be unveiled at a summit in London on Monday. Sir Keir held 11th hour talks with EU boss Ursula von der Leyen and French leader Emmanuel Macron on Friday on the fringes of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Albania, amid fears an agreement to secure closer ties could be derailed with just days to go. Officials are in deadlock over issues including a demand from EU states for EU students to pay lower British tuition fee rates for universities, which could cost the UK an estimated £1bn, while President Macron is also leading a charge for demands that EU fishermen can fish in British waters as part of a deal to allow trade barriers to be removed. But in an interview with the Independent, Ms Thornberry urged the PM to be more ambitious on what the 'reset' might include. She called on Sir Keir to be 'courageous' with the deal, adding: 'We should be going further than the government currently seems to have the ambition for doing.' She warned there was a 'compelling case... of the amount that the country is suffering as a result of having put trade barriers between Europe and Britain, (which) means that our growth has been severely compromised.' To tackle the problem and tear down some of the barriers, such as the need to check goods coming into the country meet certain standards, she said ministers should be more relaxed about the issue. 'I would like us to be much more relaxed about goods having the same sort of regulation… if we just agree the same kind of standards, not just for food, but generally, I think that would make life much easier.' She said while critics of such a move might warn it would make it harder for the UK to strike trade deals with other countries, she remained unconvinced. She said: 'Well, maybe, but not necessarily. And the most important trade that we do is with European Union.' She also called for cuts to the red tape holding the UK back from exporting services, such as architecture skills, to the EU, 'given that we're basically a service economy'. Labour's manifesto promised to deliver mutual recognition of qualifications obtained abroad, allowing professionals qualified in the UK to practice in the EU and vice versa, without having to requalify and with minimal additional bureaucracy. She also said when it comes to the City and the finance sector, it is 'almost like they've given up' and no longer believe the situation can be improved. 'We haven't lost out hugely yet, but I think it's going to be a slow process. I wish we could do something about that,' she said. A controversial aspect of the reset negotiations has been a youth mobility scheme, amid fears critics would characterise a capped, time-limited visa for under-30s to live and work in the UK and Europe as a return to freedom of movement. The summit comes just a week after Sir Keir controversially warned the UK risked becoming an 'island of strangers' and unveiled a new migration crackdown as he sought to tackle the threat posed by Nigel Farage and Reform, after the party's recent local elections success. Ms Thornberry distanced herself from the PM and said she would not have used the same language. 'I wouldn't have put it that way,' she said. 'You know, my English children are a quarter Irish, a quarter Jewish, a quarter Huguenot, a quarter East End white. They're English. In Hackney, where I'm also the MP for, they speak 86 languages.' She also said she backed removing students from the migration numbers the government is so desperately trying to reduce. Advocates of the idea have argued that as students are only here temporarily they should not be included in the figures, unless they stay on after their course. Ms Thornberry said such a move 'would just be truthful. Migration is about people who come and live in the UK permanently – if you're a student, by definition, you don't.' And she blamed previous governments, including former Labour governments, for Brexit, saying it was too easy for politicians to blame the EU when things got difficult. 'If only we hadn't used the European Union as an excuse for our own failure. And I think that it was just an easy thing for politicians to do over a long period of time. If anything didn't work or was uncomfortable or hard, we would blame the European Union. And we only ever talked about the European Union in negative terms.' Asked if she was including Labour governments, she said: 'Everybody. Everybody did it.'
