Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will try to strike a deal (Image: Getty)
Britain is in danger of being plunged into the “worst of all worlds” as Sir meets with EU leaders this week to forge a new relationship with Brussels, leading Brexiteers have warned.
They say the United Kingdom will end up a “serf of the EU” and could be hit with US tariffs if the Prime Minister gives up freedoms.
On Monday Sir Keir will become the first PM to attend a dinner with EU leaders since – and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused him of trying to “reopen the divisions of the past and edge us back into the EU”.
The EU is expected to demand major concessions before it will agree to a new security pact with the UK. France and other members states are pressing for Britain to allow EU boats to fish in UK waters and for European young people to live and work here as the price of a deal.
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Former minister David Jones warned: “Given his track record, it must be suspected that the Prime Minister’s view of a reset of relations with the EU amounts to the UK becoming a rule-taker and sacrificing the independence that was so hard won at the referendum. This must not happen.
“The PM must understand that closer ties with Europe will mean moving the UK away from the world’s dominant trading nation, the United States. It may even result in tariffs being imposed on the UK by the US.
“We are therefore in danger of the worst of all worlds: both becoming a serf of the EU and distancing ourselves from our most important commercial and strategic partner.”
Mrs Badenoch has set out five areas where Sir Keir – who served as Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Secretary – must not compromise with the EU.
These are: No backsliding on free movement or compulsory asylum transfers; no new money paid to the EU; no reduction in our fishing rights; no rule taking, dynamic alignment or European Court jurisdiction; no compromise on the primacy of NATO as the cornerstone of European security.
She said: “Five years ago the broke the deadlock and got done. We delivered the biggest democratic mandate in our country’s history.
“ and his Labour party opposed us every step of the way – they tried to cancel the referendum and stop us taking back control. Now and the Labour Government are trying to reopen the divisions of the past and edge us back into the EU.”
Veteran Brexiteer Mark Francois – who chairs the eurosceptic European Research Group – warned: “It would be perverse if our Prime Minister sought to celebrate the fifth anniversary of by seeking to reverse it but I fear that’s actually what he wants to do, in his heart of hearts. After fighting for years to win back the precious right to run our own country we mustn’t allow Labour to give it away, under any circumstances.”
There is widespread concern that the UK’s “special relationship” with the United States will suffer if the PM locks the UK in Brussels’ orbit. Conservative MP John Cooper has secured a debate on Tuesday on British relations with the US.
He said: “There is no closer ally for Britain than the US, whether on trade, defence or security. The special relationship has a material benefit for people’s everyday lives here in the UK. Labour needs to treat the relationship with the absolute seriousness it deserves – and we’ll be probing their intentions in this debate.”
Former Conservative party chairman Richard Holden made the case for a historic transatlantic trade deal, saying: “Increased trade with the US could add billions to the economy, raise wages and undo some of the damage caused by Labour’s economic mismanagement. It could also be the silver bullet to growth Starmer is allegedly looking for.
“Instead, he is dithering and delaying while we all get poorer.”
Sir Keir’s drive to “reset” relations with the EU comes as President Trump has vowed he will “absolutely” hit the bloc with tariffs – claiming it has treated the US “terribly”.
British officials are reportedly trying to fend off tariffs against the UK by pointing to American data showing the US has a trade surplus with Britain.
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Julian Jessop of the Institute of Economic Affairs said the UK should focus on “the many opportunities created by ” and pursue new trade deals with the US and India.
However, he argued Britain should “not reject options that would be in the best interests of the UK just because they might benefit the EU too” – saying it should be open to “mutual recognition of professional and veterinary standards” and a “limited youth mobility scheme”.
Gerald Lyons of the Centre for Policy Studies insisted the “EU is not the answer to Britain’s growth challenge” and said it is “vital the UK has the confidence to stand its ground and does not rejoin the single market or customs union”.
Maxwell Marlow of the Adam Smith Institute urged Sir Keir to torch EU-era regulations which are still on Britain’s statute books, saying: “Britain cannot truly thrive until legacy EU red-tape is slashed, taxes are lowered, and we utilise our freedoms to outpace a shrinking Europe.”
A Labour spokeswoman hit back at Mrs Badenoch’s claims the Prime Minister is trying to “edge” Britain back into the EU.She said it was “yet more hypocrisy from Kemi Badenoch and the who had eight years to make a success of but failed”.
She added: “After running an open border experiment that resulted in record high net migration, the completely botched the job on – a record so bad that Kemi Badenoch herself publicly criticised ’ ‘mistakes’ on in her first speech as leader.
“The Labour government is fully committed to making work for the British people by resetting the relationship with Europe to deliver growth and security for the UK, as we deliver on our plan for change.”