Starmer is quietly undoing Brexit – and the Iran war is giving him the perfect cover
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK must deepen its relationship with Europe, as the US-Israeli war with Iran threatens to derail economies across the continent and fracture the transatlantic alliance.
On Wednesday (1 April), with oil prices spiking and shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz under threat, Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened a rare Downing Street news conference to project calm. But beneath the talk of preparedness for Middle East fallout lay a bolder message. Britain is ready to move past the “deep damage” of Brexit.
“It is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe, and with the European Union,” Starmer said. “We want to be more ambitious.”
The Prime Minister announced plans for another UK-EU summit in the coming weeks, explicitly aimed at strengthening ties on defence, security, energy, emissions, and the economy.
He also floated greater cooperation with the EU’s single market – while insisting he would not rejoin it outright, in line with Labour’s election promises.
The conference comes after US President Donald Trump had privately dismissed NATO as a “paper tiger” and told Starmer he “can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter.” Trump has repeatedly criticised European nations, and the UK in particular, for refusing to join offensive operations against Iran.
Starmer sidestepped direct confrontation, calling the US and UK “close allies… for a very, very long time” and insisting Britain did not need to choose between Washington and Brussels.
Yet his actions tell a different story. In February at the Munich Security Conference, appearing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Starmer declared that “we are 10 years on from Brexit” and that Britain “is no longer the country that voted for Brexit a decade ago.” He vowed to pursue tighter defence and trade ties “with some urgency.”
A reset already underway
Starmer’s warmer stance toward the EU has defined his time since taking office in 2024.
The landmark “reset” deal sealed in May 2025 delivered tangible wins such as extended EU fishing access until 2038 in exchange for easier border checks on food and agricultural goods, progress on a youth mobility scheme, and a new security and defence partnership. Discussions continue on linking emissions-trading systems, electricity markets, and sanitary standards.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has made no secret of her view that closer EU ties are the “biggest prize” for lifting Britain’s sluggish growth.
In recent speeches, she has signalled Britain will align with EU regulations “where it is in our national interest,” describing it as the exception rather than the rule for divergence. City Minister Lucy Rigby is actively exploring deeper financial-services cooperation.
Starmer continues to rule out rejoining the single market or customs union, citing manifesto commitments and the desire to preserve independent trade deals with the US, India, and others. Yet his language has evolved. In January, he told the BBC the UK should pursue “issue-by-issue, sector-by-sector” alignment if it’s in our national interest.”
