News release
Starmer needs to rethink EU stance or step down after election rout, Rejoin EU Party says
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer needs to rethink his ‘hard Brexit’ stance on Europe or resign after Labour’s mauling in Thursday’s local elections, the Rejoin EU Party says.
Starmer is resisting growing calls from his own MPs for his resignation, including a potential leadership bid by Hornsey & Friern Barnet MP Catherine West, by talking about a “rebuild” of his struggling administration.
However, the only way he’s likely to achieve the significant change and economic progress that would salvage his premiership is by doing his biggest U-turn yet – on Europe.
He needs to drop his ‘red lines’ on rejoining the EU’s single market, customs union and the EU itself, a move likely to be popular not only with most of his MPs, but voters too, the Rejoin EU Party says.
Otherwise, Starmer should step aside to allow one of his colleagues to try to restore his party’s – and more importantly the UK’s – economic and political fortunes, Rejoin EU says.
Reports on Sunday suggested Starmer, in a speech on Monday aimed at shoring up his leadership, would reiterate existing plans for a “youth mobility” scheme, but wouldn’t make any major changes to Labour’s EU policy such as rejoining the SM or CU.
Rejoin EU Party chairman and former MEP Brendan Donnelly said: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to Labour that any person or party concerned about the future of the country would want the party to dislodge Keir Starmer.
“He’s been incapable of providing any leadership or vision for the UK. In particular, his attitude towards Europe has been hesitating and equivocal. Even now, after Labour’s election disaster, he apparently isn’t going to drop his Brexit ‘red lines’.
“If he really wants to save his premiership, he needs – in his party’s and the country’s best interests – to commit his government to rejoining the EU as soon as possible, or hand over to someone who will.
“As polling shows, sweet nothings about a marginally better relationship with the EU are jarring increasingly with British voters and simply won’t work.”
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The Rejoin EU Party is campaigning to re-join the EU because we believe re-joining is the only way to solve the multiple problems Brexit has created. Brexit is broken and it’s breaking our country too. All the promises on which Brexit was sold to the electorate in 2016 were nonsense. Far from reducing red tape and providing £350m a week for the NHS, Brexit makes trading with the crucial European market more complex, difficult and expensive and threatens to reduce funding for public services. If you agree Brexit is making our country poorer, less tolerant and less united, join us and send a message to Westminster that you want your EU membership back, with all its freedoms and benefits.
Promoted by Richard Hewison for the Rejoin EU Party, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE.