The United Kingdom Not to Return to the European Union: Starmer
PM Keir Starmer. X/ @damian_from
February 2, 2025 Hour: 11:07 am
The British prime minister made these remarks after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ruled out the possibility of the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union (EU), considering that the issue was decided in the 2016 referendum.
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“Since becoming Prime Minister, I have been very clear that I want to ‘reset’ the relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU. That does not mean a return to the European Union: we held a referendum on that, and the matter is settled. However, I do want to see a closer relationship in defense and security, energy, trade, and the economy, and that is what we are working on,” he stated.
Starmer made these remarks to the press while hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at his country residence in Chequers, on the outskirts of London, to discuss the war in Ukraine, the new relationship with the EU, and the situation in the Middle East.
The meeting with Scholz took place three weeks before the German elections and one day before the informal dinner that Starmer will attend this Monday with European Council leaders in Brussels, where measures to bring the United Kingdom and the EU closer will be discussed.
The British Prime Minister, who came to power in July 2024, added that improving ties between the two sides is “the best thing for the United Kingdom, I believe it is the best thing for the EU, and I hope that in the past seven months there has been a noticeable difference in the approach, tone, and relationship.”
Furthermore, Starmer said he was encouraged by Monday’s dinner in Brussels and by a “broader reset of relations between the United Kingdom and the EU,” while Scholz noted that his visit to Chequers was “a good sign of the very good relations between our two countries and indeed between the two of us.”
Starmer thanked the German chancellor for traveling to the United Kingdom for this “important meeting, particularly when you are in the middle of an election campaign.”
“When I started as Prime Minister seven months ago, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries, which was already very good, but I thought it could be stronger on several fronts,” he emphasized.
Starmer acknowledged that the United Kingdom and Germany share a “common” perspective on current issues and challenges, including the war in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. He also reported that the two countries have made “great progress” in science and technology.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
