Keir Starmer told parliament the economic and security benefits of a closer relationship with the EU are “too big to ignore”, as the British government prepares to more quickly adjust to European rules.
Updating MPs on the Iran conflict and his visit to the Gulf last week, the Prime Minister bluntly stated what he argued was the need for new relations with Europe given the chaotic global situation and the unpredictable US administration of Donald Trump.
The Guardian revealed that ministers were planning to use the so-called Henry VIII powers Dynamically aligning with EU rules by default, which involves adopting changed EU single market rules without full parliamentary scrutiny each time.
Highlighting what he said were the lessons of the Iran crisis, Starmer said the idea of a global shock to Britain’s living standards after Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war was no longer “a new experience”, and lessons should be learned from it.
He argued that the response this time “can and will be different to reflect the changing world we live in”, adding that it should include efforts to reduce energy bills.
He added: “Looking ahead, it also means closer economic ties with our European partners, because Brexit has deeply damaged the economy, and the opportunities we now have to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are too big to ignore.”
In his Commons statement, Starmer described continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon after the US and Israel agreed a ceasefire with Iran as “wrong”, while warning that Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “causing untold economic damage”.
He said Britain would play no role in planned US efforts to retaliate across the strait.
Asked by lawmakers last week about Trump’s pre-truce threat that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if Tehran did not comply with his demands, Starmer condemned the US president’s words.
“Can I really make it clear to this House that this was wrong,” he said. “It is wrong to threaten Iranian citizens in this way. Let’s remember, these are citizens who have suffered immeasurable harm at the hands of the regime in Iran for many, many, long years.”
Starmer’s very clear calls for closer ties to the EU have opened a major divide with the Conservatives and Reform UK, who have both condemned the default alignment plans, details of which will come in a bill to be presented in next month’s King’s Speech.
The Conservatives’ shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith, said that Starmer was unable to accept the 2016 referendum decision, leaving Parliament “reduced to being a spectator while Brussels set the terms”.
Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Starmer wanted to build closer ties with “the declining share of the global economy”.
Asked about the plans, Farage said: “It makes no sense in economic terms to tie ourselves closer to this. In democratic terms, it is a complete betrayal of the Brexit vote 10 years ago, and it is also a complete breach of the Labor manifesto and a further devaluation of Parliament.”
But speaking to the BBC on Monday morning, Starmer argued that opponents of the plans need to recognize that the world has changed.
“I think there is also an understanding, 10 years after the Brexit referendum, that we now have to look forward, not backward,” the Prime Minister said. “Let’s not just follow all the same old arguments from the last decade.
“Let’s move forward and recognize that a stronger, closer relationship with Europe is in the UK’s best interests, especially in a world that is so unstable.”
Under the proposed bill, ministers plan to argue that the move would add billions of dollars to the UK economy, reduce the costs of the Iran conflict and boost lagging productivity.
The Guardian understands that if the bill – which is expected to be introduced before the summer – is passed, negotiators could seek to use secondary legislation to adopt EU rules on everything from cars to farming.
Parliament can either approve or reject secondary legislation, but not amend it, which would probably mean that MPs would “rubber-stamp” new deals rather than debate and vote on each one. Any blocked vote would be likely to cause problems with the EU and could trigger retaliatory measures. One source said: “We are clear that Parliament will have a role on new deals and the new EU laws that apply under those deals.”
