The Mirror’s Sophie Huskisson was in the room as Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an EU reset deal with European leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa
Keir Starmer made it clear today that he is ready to move on from nearly a decade of Brexit squabbling.
The Prime Minister told a press conference that “Britain is back on the world stage” as he hosted a summit with European leaders that was a far cry from the frosty meetings under Tory PMs Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
The PM was all smiles as he entered with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. Ms von der Leyen referred to him as “dear Keir” and said the UK-EU deal will create “friendships that will last a lifetime”. Meanwhile Mr Costa praised Mr Starmer’s leadership, saying the deal is testament to the “new tone you have brought to our relationship”.
It marked a start difference from the tensions during Theresa May’s time as PM, when both sides were locked in fraught negotiations to get a Brexit deal over the line. A photo of former Tory PM standing by herself as EU leaders chatted and embraced went viral, while Boris Johnson also had a pretty dysfunctional relationship with the bloc.
The atmosphere leading up to the press conference wasn’t one of overwhelming excitement for journalists – from the UK and the EU – who have covered the ins and outs of Brexit trade deals and negotiations. I even spotted one reporter playing Solitaire on his phone as we waited for the speeches to begin.
But anticipation began to pick up before Mr Starmer, Ms von der Leyen and Mr Costa arrived. The sight of Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds walking in to take their seats reminded us these were a different set of negotiators, with a different set of priorities and a different set of values after years of botched Tory Brexit negotiations.
Mr Thomas-Symonds, who helped lead the talks, admitted he’d had a late night, with a Nando’s takeaway ordered to sustain the British negotiators. And Mr Lammy and EU negotiator Maros Sefcovic drew laughs after they swapped seats so the Foreign Secretary could sit next to his Brussels counterpart Kaja Kallas. The friendly tone had been set for the day.
During the press conference, the PM shifted the focus onto the kind of change British families would feel in their daily lives rather than the intense ideological rows over the purity of Brexit. He announced key changes, including allowing tourists to use e-gates at airports in Europe. He said businesses will be able to sell burgers and sausages into the bloc again and shoppers will see cheaper prices in the supermarket.
Mr Starmer resisted criticism of a move to allow the EU access to British fishing waters for a further 12 years, saying his deal would protect fishermen’s rights. He hit out at critics – like Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch – who are against any closer ties with the EU, even if it benefits British families. And he questioned their strong condemnation of the new deal before it had even been published.
“It’s time to look forward. To move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people,” he said.