Keir Starmer won’t have long to wait for a chance to reset Britain’s ties with the European Union. If his Labour Party wins the U.K. election as expected on July 4, he’ll be welcoming dozens of fellow leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni for talks at Winston Churchill’s former home just two weeks later.
People close to Starmer, who polls suggest is a shoo-in to replace Rishi Sunak as prime minister, expect him to use the European Political Community summit to begin establishing a "new geopolitical partnership” with the U.K.’s closest and biggest trading partner. Labour wants to ease post-Brexit trade friction, boost cooperation and make it easier for Britons to work in the EU — so long as there’s no hint of reversing the 2016 vote to leave the bloc.
"We do think there’s a better deal to be had. That will have to be negotiated,” Starmer said last week.