Sensemaker Daily
- The British army was put on standby after an armed police revolt over a colleague’s murder charge.
- Matteo Messina Denaro, the “last godfather” of the Sicilian mafia, died aged 61 after being arrested in January.
- Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa smashed the women’s marathon world record in Berlin, winning in a £400 pair of single-use trainers.
Britain’s Labour Party has been busy saying it has no plans to “unpick Brexit”.
So what? It has to say that. Accepting Brexit is a core Labour proposition because so many traditional Labour voters back it, and the party’s leader strayed off message last week. He prompted front-page conniptions at the Daily Mail telling fellow progressives in Canada there was “a lot more common ground [with the EU] than you might think”.
But “not unpicking” leaves enough wiggle room for a Eurostar to drive through. The reality is a concerted Labour effort by senior people on many fronts to find ways around blockages and to build a new relationship instead of going back to the old one.
A lot of it comes down to language. Multiple sources tell Tortoise
- a return to free movement isn’t being discussed by Labour but greater “mobility” is;
- “dynamic alignment” with EU regulations is not an option – but that doesn’t rule out some sort of static alignment; and
- Brussels’ neuralgia about “cherry-picking” is receding. Under Labour, “bespoke” could make a comeback.
Lining up. The alignment debate is especially delicate because Brexiters want regulatory divergence from the EU instead, on the unproven premise that more complexity in the UK’s trade relations with its biggest neighbour might be a good thing. But three sources confirmed Labour is discussing alignment at multiple levels (more below).
Stepping up. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has tapped into several sources while Nick Thomas-Symonds, who was made shadow minister without portfolio in Keir Starmer’s recent reshuffle, has been to Brussels at least three times in the last few months.
Who to call. Although there’s currently no formal EU negotiating team, members of Ursula von der Leyen’s cabinet are said to have been involved in talks with Labour, with cabinet head Bjoern Seibert understood to be leading. (Labour says there have been no meetings with von der Leyen’s cabinet per se.)
Conscious of the looming changes at the European Commission, Labour has also been advised to speak to officials and apparatchiks. “The permanent people are the most valuable people to talk to because so many commissioners will go,” one Labour advisor says.
Not bored. Talk of continental ennui about dealing with the UK may be exaggerated. Diplomats and politicians from individual member states including Germany are taking an interest. Olaf Sholz and Emanuel Macron, whom Starmer met last week, are said to be particularly engaged. Macron believes his European Political Community – an outer tier that could accommodate Ukraine as well as Britain – “lives or dies” on UK involvement, another source said.
Off the table. Labour can’t countenance talk of anything that recalls the toxic Brexit debates of 2016-19. So:
- Sources insist dynamic alignment was never being considered “because it had a particular meaning in 2018” which makes it impossible politically.
- Rejoining the single market or customs union, both of which would mean Britain becoming a rule-taker, are likewise said to be non-starters.
On the table. Look out instead for discussion of
- “static alignment with mechanisms for change”, as well as punishment for straying from agreed regulatory standards;
- deeper security cooperation – especially valuable at a time of war and given Britain’s nuclear status – which could wrap in trade talks too; and
- “mobility” rather than free movement – the EU wants more access to the City and British universities, and Labour has already said it wants a new deal on immigration which could involve a reciprocal arrangement to speed up processing while accepting a certain number of asylum seekers.
Softening on cherries. With the passage of time, the EU has softened its position on “cherry picking”. That means there’s scope for a deal that, while not as frictionless as pre-Brexit, could improve on the current situation.
About that. Sources say people are “asking the wrong questions” about Labour and the EU. Red herrings supposedly include the 2025 review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the European Court of Justice’s oversight of the TCA and whether this is all just a precursor to the UK rejoining the EU.
It isn’t. Europe has bigger things to worry about for now. But if Labour wins, expect a closer relationship and a whole new EU-UK lexicon.
