Business Secretary Peter Kyle has declared that aligning with European Union rules is 'where the magic happens', as he unveiled a new deal with Brussels and hinted at further concessions ahead. The Express understands Kyle believes the British public had moved on from Brexit, having thrown his weight behind Sir Keir Starmer's drive to rebuild ties with the bloc.
Labour went into the last election promising to reshape the UK's relationship with Brussels, but its manifesto made no mention of achieving that through rule alignment. Asked whether voters were on board, Kyle reportedly said: 'The public did vote for a government that had a reset with the EU as its core foreign policy in the election. So I think the public have always been looking forward, and they're not really nostalgic for the past.'
The reset has already moved quickly. Britain has committed to following Brussels rules on animal and plant health, electricity and carbon pricing, while EU fishing fleets have been given a 12-year guarantee of access to UK waters. At the Munich Security Conference, Sir Keir put down a marker that he was open to going further, and Kyle's Brussels visit reinforced that message.
For Brexit supporters, the trajectory is alarming. Nigel Farage told The Telegraph: 'Mr Kyle is being totally dishonest. The manifesto was clear and said no going back to the single market. This realignment means that we are shadowing Brussels in a growing number of areas. Betrayal is the word.' Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, said: 'Each time Labour ministers go to Brussels they signal another negotiating concession. It's clear they are now preparing to breach their manifesto quite blatantly by joining one aspect after another of the EU's single market.'
At the centre of Kyle's Brussels agenda was gaining a foothold in the EU's 'Made in Europe' scheme, a programme that could shut British manufacturers out of European supply chains by imposing tough requirements for locally sourced components. Kyle said: 'No one knows more than the EU that when you work with like-minded partners, you solve challenges. We should always be focused in this particular moment, even more so in times gone past, in focusing on solutions rather than creating barriers.'
