The Pygge

EUROPE IS BACK by @PronouncedAlva With every erratic move Donald Trump makes, from threatening tariffs on Nato allies to publicly attacking Keir Starmer in overnight blind sides on Truth Social, there are some in Labour who see it as a vindication. They have been arguing for months: the UK can no longer depend on its unpredictable American counterpart, and must pivot towards Europe. “Keir and Rachel want to prioritise living standards and growth,” a Labour insider notes. “But the little growth there is could be wiped out by the US with the click of Trump’s fingers.” Many inside Labour are turning towards Europe, the only relationship they believe can reliably provide growth. Some see the pivot already beginning, though other senior figures close to Starmer remain resistant. A battle is now under way between these camps, pulling Starmer in different directions. Having tried to bury Brexit throughout the Prime Minister’s leadership, the Labour party is trying less hard to repress its instinctive Europhilia. Wes Streeting and David Lammy have both suggested the UK could get economic benefits from rejoining a customs union. “This is where the Labour party is,” an insider says. “The question is, does Keir get ahead of it?” Should a leadership election come, many – including those close to Starmer – expect a competition of pro-Europeanism. “I can imagine a situation where everyone in a leadership contest endorses rejoining a customs union to cancel it out as a threat,” one insider observes. “At the next election Labour will be more pro-European, whether Keir is part of that or not,” another says. Many within Labour don’t just want the government quietly to pursue ever-tighter economic alignment with Europe: they want Labour to shout about it. “If you’re going to unite the left at the next election, you’ve got to have a bolder offer on Europe,” argues one insider. At this point, the question will not be whether to join a customs union with the EU – or return to the single market – but whether to join the EU in retaliating against American economic pressure by levying retaliatory tariffs against Washington. “I think Keir’s thinking about it,” a pro-European Labour figure says. “I can’t see Varun [Chandra] giving the go-ahead to tariffs on the US,” counters another. For now, Downing Street’s line is that it’s “hypothetical”. Whether No 10’s sanguine analysis proves wise or not, one thing is clear: Europe is back, and ready to make the weather of British politics once again.