Keir Starmer held secret talks with Emmanuel Macron about Brexit,The Independent can reveal as the row over Europe between Labour and the government deepened.
A source close to the Labour leader said Sir Keir and the French president discussed a number of thorny issues when they met this week in Paris – including Britain’s relationship with the EU and small boats.
Sir Keir later described the talks as “very political”, while the source told The Independent the pair “covered all the difficult issues, not just pleasantries”.
The meeting came against a backdrop of debate over what any renegotiations with the bloc might involve and after Sir Keir said he wanted a “closer trading relationship” with the EU.
Days later, chancellor Jeremy Hunt accused Labour of wanting to “unpick” Brexit if it wins the next general election – an accusation which Sir Keir quickly moved to reject.
The accusations came after the opposition leader made his boldest comments yet outlining his vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Sir Keir, who is walking a tightrope on Brexit ahead of the next election, told a conference of leaders in Canada that he does “not want to diverge“ from the bloc’s rules on workers’ rights, food and the environment.
Both the Montreal meeting and the Paris talks were part of an international tour designed to portray the Labour leader as a prime minister in waiting.
But Sir Keir’s remarks drew flak from the Conservatives with Mr Hunt saying the opposition’s stance “will worry a lot of the people who voted for Brexit”.
On Friday, the Labour leader was forced to downplay the statement as he spoke to reporters in the City of London on Friday, saying there was “no case for rejoining the EU, no case for the customs union or single market” and laws would be “made in this country for the public interest”.
But he added that this “does not mean that a Labour government would lower standards on food or lower the rights that people have at work”.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves also said it “shouldn’t come as a surprise” that Labour would not “dilute workers’ rights, environmental protections or food standards”. “That’s not what Labour are about,” Ms Reeves told the BBC.
She also said the Tories have not used Brexit to diverge on “food, environmental or labour standards” and “if they have a plan to do so then they should come clean”.
Rachel Reeves said it ‘shouldn’t come as a surprise’ that Labour does not want to ‘dilute workers’ rights’ (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
(PA Wire)
It came after King Charles finished three day charm-offensive on the continent, describing France as “ally and best friend”.
The row between Labour and the government began after Sir Keir told an event in Canada: “Most of the conflict with the UK being outside of the [EU] arises in so far as the UK wants to diverge and do different things to the rest of our EU partners.
“Obviously the more we share values, the more we share a future together, the less the conflict. And actually different ways of solving problems become available.
“Actually we don’t want to diverge, we don’t want to lower standards, we don’t want to rip up environmental standards, working standards for people that work, food standards and all the rest of it.”
It came after he promised to push for an improved trading relationship with the EU if Labour forms the next government. At the same time, France and Germany were said to be pushing plans to offer Britain “associate membership” of the EU.
Asked about the comments by LBC, Mr Hunt said: “Those kinds of comments about not wanting to diverge will worry a lot of people that what he really wants to do is to unpick Brexit.
“Any suggestion that you want to align our laws and regulations with EU will worry a lot of the people who voted for Brexit.”
A spokesman said Labour would not rejoin the single market or customs union, and Britain is “not going back in any form” to the EU.
Ms Reeves added: “Because we want those high standards, we think it is easier for an incoming Labour government to get a better deal with the EU to improve trading relations.
“Because the truth is, the deal that Boris Johnson secured three years ago is not good enough and we have seen a decline in trade between the UK and other European neighbours.”
After attacking Sir Keir’s position on Brexit, Mr Hunt said: “We are going to make a tremendous success of Brexit. We’ve already started to do so and there’s lots more to come.
“We want to be good friends with our neighbours across the channel.”
Some Brexiteers have argued that leaving the European Union presents an opportunity to change regulations in areas like product standards or the environment – which were previously agreed in Brussels while Britain was a member of the union.
Other voices, such as trade unions and environmentalists, have said EU rules help keep UK standards high and warned against divergence.
And business have also warned that divergence from the EU might create extra costs.
Under the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson, the UK’s rulebook will gradually diverge from the EU’s – though plans to immediately purge the statue books of all EU legislation have been abandoned by Rishi Sunak
Other approaches to Brexit, such as remaining in the single market, would require Britain to remain synced to EU rules – but would lower trade barriers compared to now.