Real purpose why Keir Starmer dedicated his most brazen Brexit betrayal | Politics | News | EUROtoday

It has been a number of years within the making however Sir Keir Starmer lastly received his want this week as he frogmarched Britain right into a depressing new period of meddling Brussels rule. With a stroke of a pen, the Labour chief ensured a return to European Union laws and interference which many hoped had been consigned to the dustbin of historical past.

The grinning Prime Minister proclaimed his new reset deal a “win win” as he stood alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen throughout this week’s UK-EU Summit.

The Daily Express ought to have been there inside London’s historic Lancaster House to witness what critics have described as Sir Keir’s Brexit “surrender”.

But we had been denied entry, refused accreditation as a consequence of “limited capacity” for an occasion that was attended by scores of media shops from throughout the UK and the continent.

What a shock!

It is considerably ironic that the newspaper which led the victorious marketing campaign to get Britain out of the EU – led by the late political journalist and politician Patrick O’Flynn, who died on Tuesday – was not given the chance to scrutinise the Prime Minister.

There will probably be different alternatives.

This was the primary of what is going to turn into an annual occasion and reveals that Sir Keir has no plans in stopping.

On Monday the Labour chief, who backed Remain then campaigned for a second referendum to undo the Leave vote, agreed to restart funds to the EU finances which may run into a whole lot of tens of millions of kilos a yr.

And, to the fury of Britain’s beleaguered fishermen, he caved in to French calls for to permit entry for EU trawlers till no less than 2038 – greater than 20 years after the general public voted to take again management.

The settlement additionally paves the way in which for a “youth mobility deal” which may doubtlessly grant 80 million younger Europeans the suitable to stay and work briefly within the UK.

Unsurprisingly, Sir Keir’s reset deal was met with a livid backlash.

Critics mentioned he had been “stitched up like a kipper” by Europe as his “sell-out” for smoother commerce will crush the UK fishing business, drive up immigration and price taxpayers tens of millions.

Nigel Farage mentioned the “Brexit betrayal” sticks two-fingers as much as the 17.4 million individuals who voted to go away the EU in 2016.

Tory chief Kemi Badenoch mentioned the deal takes Britain again to the previous as a “rule-taker” from Brussels.

While former PM Boris Johnson, who was one of many principal architects of the Vote Leave marketing campaign, was sometimes vibrant in his criticism, lambasting Sir Keir because the “orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels”.

Sir Keir Starmer mentioned the discount in commerce limitations would enhance the UK economic system by £9 billion a yr by 2040.

The PM claimed it will end in “lower food prices at the checkout” by making commerce with the EU cheaper and simpler.

And he mentioned an settlement on using passport e-gates may ease queues for British travellers, though it was not clear when that may begin.

Ms von der Leyen mentioned the deal offered a “road map” for even nearer relations between Britain and the EU in future.

For their half, each Mrs Badenoch and the Reform UK chief each pledged to scrap the deal in the event that they win energy on the subsequent election.

But in a mechanism branded the “Reform clause”, the brand new cope with the EU would enable Brussels to impose swingeing tariffs on British exports if the fishing settlement is torn up early by a brand new authorities.

There are 5 key parts to the deal – fishing, commerce, youth mobility, defence and meals requirements. Sir Keir has handed European fishing vessels one other 12 years of entry to British waters on the identical phrases they get pleasure from now.

This is arguably essentially the most controversial half and sparked the largest cries of betrayal.

Under a deal struck by Mr Johnson in 2021, Britain could have seized again 25% of catching rights in its waters that had been surrendered to EU trawlers earlier than the 2016 Brexit vote.

Britain’s fishing business had hoped this switch of energy would proceed when the deal ends in June 2026 – or that the UK would seize again management over 100% of its waters.

But Sir Keir has agreed that the EU can hold 75% of its pre-Brexit catch till 2038, somewhat than proceed to step by step take again management of UK waters following Brexit.

UK negotiators apparently caved in after the EU put Eleventh-hour calls for on the desk on Sunday.

They performed hardball by warning Sir Keir that he would solely safe his key demand that buying and selling limitations are relaxed with the bloc indefinitely if he agreed to present fishing rights being prolonged.

After last-minute wrangling, each side agreed on 12 years.

The scale of the deal blindsided UK fishing organisations as a result of ministers had beforehand indicated they had been solely ready to permit an extension of not more than 4 years.

However, the ban on exporting sure shellfish to the Continent – resembling clams, mussels and oysters – has been lifted.

Sir Keir insisted the deal was “good for fishing” as a result of it will present stability. But the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation branded it “a horror show” whereas Mr Farage mentioned it will be “the end of the fishing industry”.

Meanwhile, hundreds extra adults aged below 30 from greater than two dozen EU nations may pour into the UK below the “youth experience scheme”.

It would give younger individuals from the EU the suitable to work, stay and examine within the UK and vice versa.

The numbers allowed to come back can be capped, with a time restrict on how lengthy they’ll keep. But there was no element about this and it’s nonetheless to be negotiated in additional talks.

Brexiteers have argued that it indicators a return to “freedom of movement by the back door”.

Britain has additionally agreed to enter talks about doubtlessly re-joining the EU’s Erasmus programme at a value of tens of millions of kilos.

The Prime Minister additionally agreed to observe EU meals requirements and farming guidelines without end in return for crimson tape being slashed when exporting animal and plant merchandise to the bloc – which ministers say will minimize costs in supermarkets.

The deal tears up a lot of the EU meals and farming checks imposed after Brexit, that means chilled meat merchandise resembling sausages and burgers will be exported to the Continent once more.

British checks on EU meals may also be lowered in a transfer No10 claimed would “make food cheaper”.

Controversially, this can embody adopting new EU legal guidelines within the sector in future.

This so-called “dynamic alignment” will make the UK a “rule-taker”, Brexiteers declare, undermining one of many key ideas of Brexit that the UK ought to set its personal legal guidelines.

For occasion, it may forestall Britain from forging forward with plans to permit the planting of gene-edited crops, a sector which may have generated billions of kilos.

The deal means the UK could have a say within the guidelines being made, however it’s but to be defined how this can work.

It additionally means Britain must settle for rulings by the European Court of Justice in relation to disputes.

Sir Keir’s deal opens the door for UK defence companies to entry a £125billion EU fund designed to assist the bloc’s nations re-arm within the wake of the warfare in Ukraine.

British defence companies resembling BAE Systems and Babcock have been locked out of it.

Talks will probably be taken ahead about how the UK can entry the fund – together with making a monetary contribution, which may attain into the a whole lot of tens of millions of kilos.

The fund permits EU states to take out loans for weapons from funds raised in opposition to the EU finances.

Some worry the Defence and Security Partnership may imply British servicemen collaborating in EU civilian and army operations, which Brexiteers argue is doubtlessly a slippery slope in the direction of the UK turning into concerned in an “EU Army”.

While May 19, 2025 could be the day that Sir Keir launched into his most brazen act of Brexit betrayal but, many worry that it’s simply starting.

Since he entered Downing Street final July the Labour chief has systematically labored his manner via an ever rising checklist of the way to hitch Britain to the European bandwagon as soon as once more.

This will proceed within the weeks, months and years forward.

Sir Keir claims he desires Brexit to work within the UK’s curiosity. But the truth is that he’s attempting to unpick as a lot of it as he can, sew by sew.

With Reform UK respiration down the necks of each the Tories and Labour, the Prime Minister’s masterplan to re-enter the EU’s orbit is doomed to failure if immigration numbers, each authorized and unlawful, don’t fall quickly over the following few years and the economic system suffers.

When Sir Keir made his grand announcement subsequent to the Union Jack and EU flag on Monday it was a stark reminder of what he craves however what so many individuals rejected on one other historic and memorable date, 23 June 2016, when Britain determined to stop the EU.