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Louise Thomas
Editor
Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet other European leaders after the opening ceremony of the Olympics as he continues his bid to reset Britain’s relationship with the continent after Brexit.
The prime minister will be in Paris on Friday as the Games get underway in the French capital and is expected to meet members of the Team GB squad on Saturday.
But it is understood there is also the opportunity for meetings with other leaders after the event.
Last week the Labour leader, who has said he wants a “reset” with the European Union, promised to fix Britain’s damaged relations with the bloc for the benefit of “generations to come”.
And less than two weeks into his premiership, he scored his first major success as European leaders hailed his plan for a new era.
The Irish prime minister, Simon Harris, who is expected to be influential in any reset, has described the election of a new government as a potential “game-changer” for the bloc.
The meetings in and around the Olympics come amid reports Germany wants to respond to Sir Keir’s proposed security pact with what has been dubbed a post-Brexit “mega deal”, looking at everything from rules around agriculture to student exchange programmes.
Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, told Politico: “We very much welcome the initiative of a security pact. It’s not only security, it’s broader: so I would call it a security and cooperation agreement between the UK and the European Union.”
He added: “We have a headline, which is security and cooperation. And beneath that, we think we should look for areas which are in the common interest.”
Dr Mike Galsworthy, the chair of European Movement UK, said: “This is very good news. Germany is not the only one who wants to go much further in rebuilding relations, the UK public does too. Even Starmer has expressed ambitions that go beyond changes that could be made within the restrictive TCA [Trade and Cooperation Agreement]. So now is not the time to be overly meek and cautious.
“This is a golden opportunity to show just how different and outward-looking this government is compared to the previous one.”
Sir Nick Harvey, European Movement UK chief executive and a former armed forces minister, said: “If a British government is truly to keep our citizens secure from all these threats, then cooperation with our European neighbours is vital. When we wrenched away from our closest economic partners and allies, we should have left open a channel to continue close security partnerships.
“Theresa May pursued this in her ill-fated exit negotiations, but Boris Johnson foolishly ignored it. The new government has been quick to recognise the need to deepen the UK’s cooperation with its European neighbours.
“Britain’s defence capabilities, though diminished after decades of cuts, remain significant and broad in spectrum. We bring something serious to the European table. Likewise, ‘soft power’ – our diplomatic footprint around the world – even more foolishly reduced, still offers a force-multiplier to European efforts.”
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