Labour will look again its Brexit “red lines” as the government seeks to create closer ties with the European Union, a minister has suggested.
The minister tasked with leading the UK’s so-called reset negotiations with the EU said that the government may have to reconsider its manifesto red lines, which rule out rejoining of the customs union, single market or free movement of labour.
European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said Labour currently did not have a “mandate” to begin talks on its red lines, but added: “It is something we obviously will have to look at.”
He told The Times: “It would be dependent on how successful we are with the current reset.”
The prime minister has placed his pledge to reset Britain’s relationship with Brussels at the heart of his government, promising to rebuild ties with the EU that had been damaged by the previous Conservative government.
Sir Keir clinched an initial landmark deal last year, which included agreements such as allowing British tourists to use fast-track e-gates at European airports, a 12-year extension of an agreement for EU trawlers to access UK waters and an open-ended agreement to slash red tape on food and drink exports and imports.
But further negotiations could be hampered by the government continuing to rule out allowing EU citizens to work in the UK visa free.
“What happens after the next election will depend on how successful I am across this parliament in terms of what I have delivered,” Thomas-Symonds said. “I think what we’re doing is popular. But it needs to show results to remain popular.
“It will depend on exactly where we are in European and world politics in 2028 or 2029.”
He also told the paper the UK was negotiating a deal to rejoin the EU’s internal market for electricity.
“Doing a deal on electricity will directly lower energy bills here in the UK,” he said. “When it’s really cold here and there is little wind or sun, for example, we can import cheap nuclear power from France, instead of firing up the expensive gas plants in the UK. That all drives down the bills we pay as households.”
It comes asThe Independent launches a new campaign on how Britain can rebuild its shattered links with Europe.
The campaign – Europe: The Way Back – will consist of news, analysis, interviews and live events examining the impact of Brexit and what our relationship with Europe should look like.
The Brexit question has returned to the forefront of politics within Labour in recent weeks, serving as a key issue in the party’s leadership contest, which will likely be triggered if Andy Burnham is able to return to Parliament.
Sir Keir Starmer placed closer EU ties at the heart of his pitch to cling onto power after disastrous results in May’s local elections.
Meanwhile, former health secretary and leadership hopeful Wes Streeting made his opening pitch to become prime minister a call for Britain to rejoin the European Union.
When it came to Brexit, leaving the EU was a “catastrophic mistake”, he said.
Mr Burnham told last year’s Labour Party conference he wanted the UK to rejoin the bloc, saying, “I hope it happens in my lifetime… People prosper more when they’re part of unions. That’s my belief, and I’ll say it clearly.”
But asked if he was in favour of rejoining the EU more recently, he told ITV: “I’ve said in the long-term there is a case for that, but I’m not advocating that in this byelection.”
