Starmer told to be 'bold' and use EU security fears to secure better Brexit reset deal

Exclusive: Lord Ricketts said the prime minster has an opportunity to put Britain back at the ‘heart’ of major decisions in Europe when he meets EU leaders on Monday

Keir Starmer must be “bold” and use Europe’s security fears as leverage to secure a better Brexit ‘reset’ deal when he meets EU leaders on Monday, a former national security adviser has warned.

The dangers posed by the war in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s presidency offer Sir Keir a prime opportunity to put Britain back at the “heart” of major decisions across the continent, Lord Ricketts told The Independent.

With major EU players Germany and France also currently “weak” because of internal dramas in both governments, the prime minister should pitch the UK as a key solution to the problems of war on the edge of Europe and Trump’s demands that EU countries spend more on defence, he said.

The call comes just days after Sir Keir’s plans for his flagship post-Brexit reset were branded anaemic, with the Labour leader warned that his EU policy is vague and unambitious.

Starmer will meet EU leaders on Monday to discuss the UK’s Brexit reset (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Lord Ricketts said the prime minister should use that opportunity to show “more boldness” and make the case that the UK should be inside rather than outside potentially lucrative EU defence deals, despite Brexit.

Sir Keir should “make a pitch that we shouldn't allow ‘third country’ rules about European defence industries to mean we're not making the most of our collective capacity to increase our production and do better in supporting Ukraine,” he said.

Such rules make it very difficult for industries in non-EU countries, like the UK, to get access to EU-funded defence manufacturing programmes to make items such as ammunition.

Lord Ricketts said the prize for the UK would be “that we are then established back at the heart of the conversation about the big issues in European security”.

He said this was a discussion at a “different level” from where “Brussels negotiators are”.

With Europe’s leaders facing political turmoil, as French President Emmanuel Macron struggles without a parliamentary majority and Germany about to hold a general election that could lead to months of coalition negotiations, Lord Ricketts said: “It's a moment where it'd be good to see the British prime minister being central in those huge discussions…. I hope it could open up discussions about bigger picture issues”.

Lord Ricketts urged the PM to be brave in his negotiations with the EU (Getty)

Asked if he thought it was a moment that required bravery from the PM, he said: “Yes, I do. I mean, I think (the government) have been cautious and the initial description of the reset has been quite a lot of process which is important. The creation of goodwill and trust is important. But when it comes to the actual substance, there's a lot of impatience around the EU to see what the UK is willing to put on the table.”

He added: “I think it's time to get into debate about some specifics, about how industries can work better together, how we can find the funds for more purchases of weapons for Ukraine, and yes, show a bit more boldness, particularly on security and defence”.

Such a move would also elevate the UK’s ‘reset’ negotiations away from the current ‘transactional’ nature of much of Brussels talks, the peer, who is also the chair of the Lords European Affairs Committee, but stressed he was speaking in a personal capacity, said.

The bloc is currently looking for concessions from the UK on fishing quotas and youth mobility schemes to allow the under-30s to live and work in the EU in exchange for better relations.

Monday’s dinner will be the first time a British prime minister has been asked to attend such a gathering since the UK’s exit from the European Union in 2020.

The Labour leader has promised to fix Britain’s damaged relations with the bloc for the benefit of “generations to come”.

No 10 has been approached for comment.