Labour government would face tough negotiations with EU
A Labour government will face tough negotiations at the hands of “hard-nosed” Brussels when it tries to forge closer post-Brexit ties with the EU, senior diplomats have warned.
The UK’s last EU commissioner and two former British ambassadors spoke after Sir Keir Starmer vowed to deepen foreign policy cooperation, smooth out trade barriers and improve relations with the EU if he wins the next election.
“The Commission is an extremely hard-nosed negotiator. And they pride themselves on it,” said Lord Darroch, who was British ambassador to the EU and the US during a diplomatic career that spanned 40 years.
“The EU has moved on from Brexit. There are plenty of issues around Europe. And what happens next with the Brits really doesn’t make the top ten,” he said.
“They expect Labour to be basically more pro-European but they also expect Labour to be extremely cautious on Europe [..] we shouldn’t expect any free gifts.”
Sir Julian King, the UK’s ambassador to Ireland and France before David Cameron appointed him the last British EU commissioner before Brexit, stated: “Labour have to be ready for a really nitty gritty, difficult discussion because just being nice isn’t going to cut it,” he said.
Rishi Sunak had already begun to repair strained relations with the EU, he said.
“So you have to go beyond that.” Sir Julian said, “But both sides need to stop fighting the last war.”
Sir Ivan Rogers, the former ambassador to the EU and a key civil servant in the early years of the Brexit negotiations before he resigned in 2017, said: “Some in Labour tend greatly to underestimate the difficulties it will face,” Sir Ivan told the Telegraph,
“There are some signs of pennies dropping. But just because the global environment is much grimmer than in 2016 does not guarantee changed mindsets in Brussels and in key places in key capitals,” he said.
The EU and UK have agreed to review the Brexit trade deal in 2026 but there is no agreement on how ambitious that will be. Labour had said it wanted to renegotiate the trade deal and are understood to have been disappointed when the European Commission swiftly ruled that out.
Brussels sources suggest it will be a chance for some minor tweaks and nothing more – although Lord Darroch said that could be a negotiating tactic. However, he added, “ The EU is pretty happy with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as it is. It works very well for them.”
Sir Keir wants a veterinary deal to reduce Irish Sea border checks between Britain and Northern Ireland and make GB trade with the EU smoother – but Brussels has shown no sign of dropping its demand that the UK align with EU plant and animal health rules. Furthermore, it is likely that it will insist on European Court of Justice oversight, while Labour says Britain will not be a rule-taker.
Sir Ivan cast doubt on Labour’s plans to align with EU rules in some sectors and keep the freedom to diverge in others, stating that Brussels and Paris would see this as “just the latest glorious version of British cherry picking”.
Labour wants to formalise foreign policy and security cooperation with Brussels, which the EU is understood to be open to, especially since the war in Ukraine. Cooperation on issues like sanctions coordination has been run on an ad hoc basis, after British negotiators rejected an EU offer of a binding treaty on cooperation in the Brexit negotiations.
“They recognise that we have been leading players in Ukraine, that we have effective, well equipped armed forces, and a global foreign policy, so we bring something to the table,” Lord Darroch said.
“The Europeans would be very cautious about unintentionally boosting the UK defence industry as part of any deal,” he added.
While a deal could open the door for talks in other security areas, according to Sir Julian, he added that attempts to use defence as a bargaining chip to win EU concessions elsewhere were at risk of backfiring.
