Europe or America – the eternal British dilemma. Keir Starmer made clear he rejects such a binary approach in his Guildhall speech in December. But with Donald Trump threatening tariffs on the European Union, Labour’s attempts to ‘reset’ the European relationship face an almighty challenge. Yet that hasn’t deterred Nick Thomas-Symonds – Starmer’s trusted lieutenant – from giving it an almighty try.
Speaking in Brussels this morning, Thomas-Symonds gave the optimist’s case for how better EU-UK relations would benefit security, resilience and economic growth for both sides. There are ‘many, many unnecessary barriers to trade and investment’, the Cabinet Office minister argued, but now ‘there is a clear opportunity to upgrade the relationship to deliver for businesses’.
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