Starmer’s Issue: "He Isn’t a Politician"

Andy Burnham is due to be named leader of the Labour Party on Friday, before he becomes prime minister on Monday.

The outgoing mayor of Manchester will be confirmed as Keir Starmer’s successor at a special party conference in central London later on Friday (17 July).

He replaces Sir Keir Starmer who spent just two years in office.

This site canvassed opinion on what is a momentous day in British politics from leading EU political figures and commentators – and what it may mean for UK relations with the 27-strong bloc.

 German MEP David McAllister, who chairs the EU parliament’s influential foreign affairs committee, told this site, “The overall direction of EU–UK relations has been positive in recent years.

 “Both sides have steadily rebuilt trust and strengthened their partnership through the Withdrawal Agreement, the Windsor Framework, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the EU–UK Summit.”

 The centre right deputy added, “The European Union is committed to cooperation where there is a clear mutual benefit – in security, defence, trade, people-to-people relations or other areas of shared interest.

 “With a new UK government taking office, there are still unresolved issues regarding exact priorities and the composition of the Cabinet. It is too early to draw conclusions about the future approach in London. Once there is greater clarity and concrete proposals emerge, they can and will be assessed on their merits. In the meantime, the focus should remain on building on the progress already achieved.”

 Further comment comes from Paul Taylor, senior visiting fellow on defence and security at the European Policy Centre, a leading Brussels-based think tank.

 Taylor said, “Andy Burnham takes office with an opportunity to review Labour’s red lines on relations with the EU (no single market, no customs union, no freedom of movement) and pursue a more ambitious rapprochement with the EU.

 “The geopolitical case is compelling with Putin threatening Europe and Trump seeking to disengage the US from European security and undercutting European values of liberal democracy, rule of law and tolerance.

 “He should continue Keir Starmer’s admirably firm bipartisan line in support of Ukraine while exploiting other opportunities to build a European defence leadership around the Coalition of the Willing in cooperation with the EU.”

 Taylor went on. “Burnham must realise that Labour is not going to win the next general election as a half-way house party that is still afraid of upsetting Brexit voters. Labour is bleeding pro-European voters to the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, and bleeding Brexit voters to Reform. He can start to reverse those losses if he forthrightly proclaims Labour to be the pragmatic pro-European force that can deliver economic and political benefits of closer relations with the EU without being hung-up by decade-old taboos. Hard-core Eurosceptics won’t vote Labour anyway.”

 He said, “There are some indications that Burnham gets