Speed-dating Starmer to make use of Nato summit to fast-track new Brexit deal

A speed-dating session with EU leaders at this week’s Nato summit will allow the Government to fast-track plans for a new Brexit deal, Sir Keir Starmer suggested last night.

The PM said the Washington summit, which will be attended by 23 EU countries would provide a ‘really important window of opportunity’ to make progress on building new relations.

Sir Keir is expected to hold initial talks with a string of EU leaders over the next 48 hours in the margins of the Nato summit.

He said this would be followed up next week when he hosts leaders from 50 European countries at a summit of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace.

After the PM met Olaf Scholz this afternoon, No10 said the German chancellor had ‘welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to re-setting the UK’s European partnerships, noting how important our friendships with like-minded countries will be in a challenging international environment’.

A spokesman said: ‘They discussed the importance of having the widest possible cooperation across all aspects of the relationship.’

Sir Keir is expected to hold initial talks with a string of EU leaders over the next 48 hours in the margins of the Nato summit.

After the PM met Olaf Scholz this afternoon, No10 said the German chancellor had ‘welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to re-setting the UK’s European partnerships, noting how important our friendships with like-minded countries will be in a challenging international environment’.

The PM said the Washington summit, which will be attended by 23 EU countries would provide a ‘really important window of opportunity’ to make progress on building new relations.

In a signal that he is looking to make significant progress on Brexit, No 10 confirmed that the new Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is accompanying the PM to the summit, which is primarily focused on defence and security. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey will also be in attendance.

In a signal that he is looking to make significant progress on Brexit, No 10 confirmed that the new Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is accompanying the PM to the summit, which is primarily focused on defence and security. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey will also be in attendance.

Speaking to reporters while travelling to Washington last night, the PM said the two summits would allow ministers to make progress which would otherwise have taken many months.

‘I want to make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity,’ he said. ‘These are meetings that would probably take months and months and months for us to fit in as a team, if we were not taking advantage of this summit for the purposes of those relations and the European Political Community.’

The PM said talks would focus primarily on security. But No 10 did not deny that Mr Thomas-Symonds would be discussing a possible new Brexit deal with counterparts.

Sir Keir revealed at the weekend he has ‘already begun’ work on changes to the agreement, adding: ‘We can get a much better deal than the botched deal that Boris Johnson saddled the UK with.’

Mr Thomas-Symonds, who is one of the PM’s closest political ties, held initial discussions with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic this week. Speaking afterwards he said the pair had agreed to hold further talks to ‘discuss how we can strengthen co-operation and reset the relationship’.

Sir Keir, who once campaigned for a second referendum, ruled out re-joining the EU during the general election campaign.

But he has already indicated he will push for closer ties with Brussels, prompting fears that Britain could become a ‘rule taker’ by offering to comply with EU regulations in return for closer trading arrangements. Critics warn this could undermine new trade deals and make it impossible for the UK to determine its own regulatory regime in fast-growing areas like artificial intelligence and gene-edited crops.

Labour’s initial talks are focused on a new security pact and a so-called ‘veterinary agreement’, which could reduce red tape on food exports and imports in return for closer alignment with EU rules.

But Brussels has indicated the price of a deal could include a new ‘youth mobility agreement’, which would effectively restore free movement for the under-30s – something Sir Keir has so far ruled out.

Boris Johnson warned at the weekend that Labour was beginning a ‘great sell out’ of the British public over Brexit.

The former PM said: ‘Behind these harmless sounding agreements is the reality that the UK will be accepting rules set by Brussels – no matter how onerous – with no UK say on the making of those rules. We are on the road to serfdom under Starmer.’