Keir Starmer is pressing ahead with plans to bring Brexit Britain closer to the European Union through a new law that enables ministers to bypass Parliament and adopt Brussels' rules under agreements that could cost taxpayers up to £1 billion a year.
European Partnership Bill in King's Speech
The King's Speech today includes the European Partnership Bill, which explicitly aims to 'strengthen ties with the European Union'. The government insists that such a move is backed by the British people. The bill is designed to 'tear down barriers to trade' and boost jobs by smoothing agreements for food and drink exports, as well as electricity and emissions trading, which are worth more than £5 billion annually.
Concerns Over Parliamentary Scrutiny
However, the bill also allows single market rules to be adopted through secondary legislation, limiting the ability of the House of Commons to scrutinise them. MPs can either approve or reject secondary legislation, but they cannot amend it as with regular legislation, and they will not vote on every single change. Unveiling the bill, the government stated: 'UK citizens back a closer relationship with the European Union where it benefits the national interest.'
The proposal has previously sparked accusations from the Tories that Parliament would be 'reduced to a spectator while Brussels sets the terms'. Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, called the plan 'outrageous' and promised his party would 'reverse such a betrayal' if it won power.
Potential Costs and Comparisons
Talks between the Prime Minister and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at a summit in Armenia last week indicated a desire to strike an 'ambitious' deal. Sources told the Times that there was no prospect of the UK 'cherry-picking', pointing out that Switzerland pays hundreds of millions of pounds annually for single market access. Given that the UK's economy is roughly four times larger than Switzerland's, its annual contribution could exceed £1 billion.
Starmer's Vision for Europe
Ten years after the Brexit vote, the PM used a speech on Monday to declare that his Labour Government would be defined by placing the UK at the 'heart of Europe', though he stopped short of promising to fully reverse the referendum result. Sir Keir vowed to establish 'an ambitious youth experience scheme' as the centrepiece of efforts to recalibrate the UK's relationship with Brussels. He urged the party to reject 'arguments of the past' when asked about potential future access to the European single market or customs union.
During the first joint UK-EU summit since Brexit in May 2025, commitments were made to strengthen cooperation across various issues, including an agreement 'to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food', which was a Labour manifesto commitment and would require primary legislation.
