Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signaled a significant recalibration of Britain’s post-Brexit trajectory, suggesting that the UK must “go further” in aligning with the European Union’s single market to secure its economic future.
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC on Sunday, Starmer argued that deepening ties with Brussels is a matter of “national interest,” particularly as the government seeks to navigate a complex global trade landscape. The comments follow a year of quiet technical rapprochement, including recent moves to synchronize British food and agriculture standards with European regulations.
“I think we should get closer,” Starmer told the broadcaster, framing the shift as a pragmatic sovereign choice rather than a reversal of the 2016 referendum. “If it’s in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the single market, then we should consider that.”
The Prime Minister’s pivot comes at a delicate moment. While he expressed an openness to single market alignment on a sector-by-sector basis, he notably cooled on the idea of rejoining the EU Customs Union. He argued that the geopolitical “water under the bridge”—specifically newly minted trade agreements with India and the United States—makes a formal customs union less viable.
“We have done deals with the US and India that are in our national interest,” Starmer noted, suggesting that single market alignment offers a way to reduce trade friction with Europe without dismantling the independent trade policy Labour has spent the last year touting as a success.
The shift toward Brussels is likely to face a fierce reception from the political right. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which has seen a surge in recent polling, has already characterized the move as “Brexit betrayal by stealth.” Starmer, however, remained defiant, ruling out a return to the “freedom of movement” but defending a proposed youth mobility scheme as a necessary step for cultural and economic exchange.
Internal pressures are also mounting. Within his own Cabinet, figures like Health Secretary Wes Streeting have recently hinted at the “enormous economic benefits” of a closer relationship with the bloc.
Starmer’s remarks were delivered against a backdrop of domestic uncertainty. With local and devolved elections looming in May, and his personal approval ratings hitting record lows, the Prime Minister used the interview to dismiss rumors of a leadership challenge. He insisted he would serve out his full five-year mandate, warning that any attempt by Labour to “return to the chaos” of frequent leadership changes would only “gift” power to the far-right.
As Parliament returns from its winter recess on Monday, Starmer is expected to face immediate pressure to translate his “closer alignment” rhetoric into concrete policy. For a Prime Minister entering what his staff call a “year of proof,” the gamble is clear: he is betting that economic stability gained through Europe will eventually outweigh the political cost of reopening the Brexit wound.
