Starmer pledges closer EU ties amid Labour leadership pressure

Keir Starmer is betting that a sharper turn toward the European Union can answer Britain’s economic and security problems, and also steady a Labour government now shaken by demands that he go. With more than 40 Labour MPs backing calls for his resignation after damaging local election results, Starmer is framing closer ties with Brussels as a practical fix for trade friction, growth, defense and energy rather than a nostalgic revisit of Brexit.

The political risk is obvious. Local elections held on May 7 and 8 across England, Wales and Scotland delivered a severe warning to Labour, with one tally showing the party losing 1,496 councillors and 38 councils while Reform UK gained 1,451 councillors and seized 14 councils. Another summary put Reform’s gains at more than 1,400 councillors and said Labour had lost control of 35 councils. Labour also lost power in Wales after 27 years, while the Scottish National Party won 58 seats in Holyrood, short of a majority.

That backdrop has made Starmer’s Europe pitch look as much like survival politics as policy reset. He has said the issues that need urgent attention include growth, defense, the UK’s relationship with Europe and energy, and he has signaled that he intends to stay in office until the next general election, now due in 2029. He has also told supporters he will be bolder, warning that a leadership contest would bring chaos and saying he wants to prove the “doubters” wrong.

The substance behind that argument is already on the table. At the first UK-EU summit since Brexit, held in London on May 19, 2025, Britain and the European Union agreed a new Security and Defence partnership and broader cooperation on trade, fisheries, energy, emissions trading and youth mobility. UK government material described the reset as covering security, growth, migration, the EU, farming and fishing, and other policy areas, while officials said the agreement would save UK businesses about £800 million in EU carbon taxes.

That leaves Starmer trying to sell the same message on two fronts: that Britain needs a more workable relationship with Europe, and that Labour cannot afford to be defined by internal revolt. Nigel Farage and Reform UK have gained ground by attacking the post-Brexit status quo, and Starmer is now arguing that the best answer is not retreat but a more forceful attempt to make the EU relationship deliver concrete gains at home.