Keir Starmer will hold talks with EU leaders today (Image: Getty)
French President Emmanuel Macron will tell Sir Keir Starmer that has failed.
The Labour leader will become the first UK Prime Minister to attend an EU summit dinner since in 2020 as he attempts to forge closer ties to the bloc.
But France views Sir Keir as the “demandeur,” someone who is being pushed back into the EU’s orbit amid growing global instability.
A senior diplomat said: “The project, breaking away from the EU to create a global Britain, didn’t work. We thought it wouldn’t work because the UK is European, geographically and economically.
” was a project for a stable and prosperous world, but in a complicated world, obviously the UK will be closer to Europe.”
The looming prospect of a trade war with the US threatens to overshadow Sir Keir’s meeting with EU chiefs after claimed the UK is “out of line”.
In comments overnight, the US president suggested he is poised to expand his tariff regime to both the UK and the EU, but added that he thinks a deal can be done with Britain.
Asked by the early on Monday if he will target the UK with tariffs, Mr Trump said: “UK is out of line but I’m sure that one… I think that one can be worked out.”
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Keir Starmer cannot ‘lecture’ Europe on defence spending.
Former Tory Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace said Sir cannot “lecture” European leaders on defence spending amid fury over Labour’s plans.
Sir Ben, the former Tory defence secretary, suggested the premier was in no position to make such a statement as the Government has delayed its decision to ramp up defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.He tweeted: “How can go and lecture Europe on Defence when he refuses to commit to increased UK Defence spending? “The so called EU ‘Defence fund’ is not all it seems and the PM should not forget that NATO not the EU is the corner stone of our security.”
Full timetable for today’s EU event
Here is what EU leaders will be doing today. is only involved in the dinner at the end and is meeting Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte separately
09:30: Arrivals and doorsteps
11:00: Exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament
11:30: First working session among 27 EU Leaders
13:00: Working lunch with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte 15:00: Second working session among EU leaders
19:00: Working dinner with UK Prime Minister
What does Keir Starmer want to achieve?
will arrive in Brussels, hoping to bolster ties on security and defence.
The Prime Minister will also be hoping a new security pact will form a key part of a wider “reset” with the .
The Labour leader is understood to have wanted to separate the defence and security deal and announce it at the first UK-EU summit, to be held in Brussels in the spring.
But the EU has refused to seperate this, and is said to be making a youth mobility scheme a key concession.
EU leaders are expected to tell Sir Keir that proposals for a closer relationship will be treated as a package, meaning he will have to make concessions on their demands for greater fishing rights in UK waters and a mobility scheme for young Europeans.
Starmer met with German leader Olaf Scholz on Sunday
The Prime Minister will travel to Brussels today to forge closer ties with the EU.
Sir Keir will urge EU countries to should ramp up military aid for .
He will call on them to follow UK and US sanctions on ‘s faltering economy and praise Mr Trump’s threat of further restrictions, which he will claim has “rattled” President Putin.
Downing Street said Sir Keir and Mr Scholz “agreed on the importance of maintaining the momentum towards an even stronger bilateral partnership”.
A spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at Chequers this afternoon.
“The leaders began by reflecting on the progress made between the UK and Germany in recent months, including through the signing of the Trinity House Agreement on defence, and joint action plan on irregular migration. They agreed on the importance of maintaining the momentum towards an even stronger bilateral partnership.
“Turning to the situation in , the Prime Minister updated on his recent visit and reiterated that it was important to ensure the country was in the strongest possible position in the coming months, so that peace could be achieved through strength.
“‘s full-scale invasion of had underscored the importance of scaling up and co-ordinating defence production across Europe, the leaders agreed.
“Updating on the Government’s strategic defence review, which would be published later this year, the Prime Minister said it would encompass the lessons learned in and the need to outmanoeuvre Putin’s ongoing aggression and hostile activity across Europe.”
(Image: Getty)
Kemi Badenoch: Starmer risks ‘restarting the Brexit wars’
Prime Minister Sir risks “restarting the wars” if he cosies back up to the EU.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says Sir Keir must not give Brussels any more money, accept the “compulsory transfer” of asylum seekers, agree to a reduction in fishing rights, allow the European Court of Justice to rule over the EU or compromise on the “primacy” of NATO.Sir Keir will urge EU countries to shoulder more of the burden of aid for at the meeting in Belgium.
He will call on them to follow UK and US sanctions on ‘s faltering economy and praise Mr Trump’s threat of further restrictions, which he will claim has “rattled” President Putin.