Prime minister urged to forge new links with EU

Last Thursday Keir Starmer hosted the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, at his country retreat, Chequers. Over a lunch of smoked haddock on an English pea and bean risotto, and raspberry and almond tart with custard, he reassured her that the UK would always stand firm with Denmark in the face of Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.

After she left Chequers, aides found she had written a message in the guest book. It said: “We’ll get by with a little help from our friends.”

Alliances are based not on transactions or the art of the deal but on values. And as the old rules-based order collapses, there are growing calls in Whitehall for the prime minister to double down on rebuilding relations with the EU rather than allowing the UK to be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea – in the form of Trump and China’s Xi Jinping.

Peter Ricketts, the former head of the Foreign Office, who was David Cameron’s national security adviser, said the past fortnight had been a “clarifying” moment for diplomats and politicians. “Trump has shown he is looking at the world as a strongman. He feels there are no constraints, no limits. In that world, we have to think about how in Europe we come together to protect our interests. It’s clearer than ever that we need to accelerate our efforts to rebuild links with the EU.”

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, and Peter Kyle, the business secretary, have all suggested that a customs union with the EU should be on the table. Others are pushing for a Swiss-style deal, giving single market access in far more sectors.

One Labour source said: “The prime minister needs to pursue the relationship with Europe with the same dynamism, creativity, commitment and willingness to weather political pressure that he has shown when trying to maintain a special relationship with the US.”

Starmer has made clear he wants to go further and faster with the “reset” between the UK and EU. Officials are drawing up a list of other areas – such as chemicals and medicines – where the UK could seek a deal with Europe under the “dynamic alignment”.

Senior figures are also discussing whether Britain could join the second round of the €150bn (£130bn) EU defence fund known as Security Action for Europe. Talks collapsed in the run-up to the first round after the EU demanded the UK pay more than €6.5bn to join the scheme, but some in government believe Trump’s unpredictability could change the mood in Brussels and other European capitals before the next EU/UK summit in the summer.

Some want Starmer to be more ambitious. The TUC has urged the prime minister to build the “closest possible” relationship with the EU. The Liberal Democrats have also tabled an amendment calling for the government to pursue a bespoke customs union. Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader, said: “The world has changed and we have to strengthen the reliable alliances that we have. Donald Trump is no longer a reliable partner and we cannot assume we will have his continued support.”

Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe and MP for Walthamstow, said the UK must “put everything on the table” to rebuild a shared future with the EU. “Leaders come and go but risk is a part of the modern world. Do you want to face it on your own when there are bullies in every corner, or do you want to face it as part of a team?”

The issue of Europe is likely to dominate any leadership contest, with potential candidates already jostling to show off their pro-EU credentials to a pro-European party.

“The world is in flux once again – that’s a challenge and an opportunity,” one senior figure said. “The clarity that Trump has given us over the last couple of weeks must bring some change. There’s no doubt that, at the next election, Labour will have a bigger, bolder offer on Europe.”

Photograph by Stefan Rousseau/POOL /AFP via Getty Images