UK Prime Minister announces fresh start in relations with EU
Photo: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Getty Images)
On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. During the meeting, he announced a new beginning in relations with the European Union, according to Deutsche Welle.
Starmer stated that the British community wants to return to smart leadership in relations with its closest neighbors to make Brexit work and serve their interests.
"Today was as much about turning the page on the old way of doing these negotiations and starting a different way of doing it, a much more constructive way of doing it," Starmer said.
Specifically, London is not ready to open borders or return to the single market; however, potential areas of cooperation mentioned included economic growth, energy security, and illegal migration.
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that the EU and the UK need to explore opportunities for closer interaction while focusing on the full and good-faith implementation of existing agreements.
Deutsche Welle recalled that back in 2016, Keir Starmer was an opponent of Britain's exit from the EU. During his election campaign, the Prime Minister refrained from making statements about the possibility of canceling Brexit, but ultimately dismissed the idea of returning the country to the European Union.
It is worth noting that at the beginning of 2024, London Mayor Sadiq Khan stated that the United Kingdom loses £178 billion annually due to its exit from the EU. According to him, this decision has resulted in a 6% contraction of the British economy. At that time, it was projected that this figure could reach 10% by 2035.
