At 10pm on July 4, 2024, when the exit poll was revealed — making it clear that Keir Starmer would be our next prime minister — our hopes for a better relationship between the UK and Europe, with all the economic benefits that would bring, were solidified.
The public’s general mistrust in politics considered, to a nation disillusioned with 14 years of Conservative chaos, Labour’s landslide win offered a sense of hope and a promise of something different. In fact, Starmer himself pledged during his victory speech in the Tate Modern in the early hours of July 5, that the change he had campaigned on “begins now”.
One year on and Labour finds itself amid the aftermath of a bruising rebellion over welfare reforms, cratering approval ratings, and the spectre of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK waiting in the wings. Well, no one ever said governing was easy — or that change happens overnight. From a series of U-turns on winter fuel, a grooming inquiry and now welfare, to the general sense of disappointment that with a stonking majority, they’re being anything but bold, it’s hardly been plain sailing.
However, when it comes to Europe — and the central importance of our largest and closest trading partners to the UK’s economic prosperity — the government, quietly and unobtrusively, has so far ticked most, if not all, of the boxes.
We knew Labour offered a more thoughtful, realistic and pragmatic approach — not hard when you’re following Brexiter Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and let’s not dwell on former Remainer Liz Truss — to our most vital trading relationship, and appreciated its enormous importance to the UK’s employers — of all sizes. Everyone from farmers and fishermen to musicians and manufacturers have been stung by new trade barriers — and now our leaders know it too.
The UK-EU reset in May was a moment of historic promise; the first step in repairing the relationship, restoring opportunities for British people, and — crucially — beginning to bring down costs. A Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement — can mean far less paperwork and expense for food exporters and importers — a Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) which would restore opportunities for our young people, and even energy co-operation, which could lower bills — all of these things are now officially on the agenda and all suggest the government is interested in delivering the kind of change people can feel. The government’s newly-unveiled trade strategy, which stated ministers were “fully convinced of the indispensable value” of trade with the EU, hit this point home.
However, these policies — many of which were first suggested by our cross party commission of MPs and business leaders — cannot be the sum-total of the government’s ambitions. Indeed, they are yet to deliver on any of them. We need to see those pledges become reality — and fast. For the sake of the small business owners losing sleep as they fear going bust, and the families and workers facing ever-rising energy bills, and stretching food budgets further and further. These are people who most need the change Labour promised — and they will be quickest to conclude that yet another government isn’t acting in their best interests.
The steady rise of Reform UK — as well as Labour’s increasingly restive backbenchers — amid the public’s growing dissatisfaction are all related to the financial constraints the government faces. This only makes the need to secure growth and cut costs all the more urgent. On Europe at least, Labour have taken some good first steps and independent economic research shows nothing can move the dial like removing barriers to UK-EU trade.
But it takes two to tango. Brexit was much more damaging for the UK than the EU but the bloc suffered as well, both economically and politically from the loss of one of their largest members. Far from just reversing the meagre gains made so far — a Reform UK government in the UK would be disastrous for both the EU and the UK. So the choice for Brussels is also clear: accept a handshake from Starmer now, or expect a slap from Farage later. They should work further and faster with the willing partner they have in Downing Street so Brits can see the benefits of closer UK-EU ties in time for the next election.
Endless political drama and crises are great for hot takes on social media and filling column inches, but they don’t help build a better society, and they don’t help the people who desperately need it. It’s with this in mind that we should all want Labour’s reset to succeed, it’s why we put so much time and effort into reaching five million voters last year in Britain’s biggest tactical voting campaign.
But our ambition was not just to change the government to one on board with an EU reset, or just to fix the problems Britain faces after Brexit. All of this only matters if the benefits are felt by millions of ordinary people across this country. The benefits of Labour’s success can be, but the cost of their failure could make the Brexit years look like a picnic.
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