How Britain can repair its broken ties with Europe

As the saying goes, history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

- JOEL RELAND

The UK's mooted "EU reset" is a very different proposition from the Brexit negotiations - a narrow reconciliation, not a sweeping divorce - but there are still valuable lessons to be learned from the past. Unfortunately for those hoping for a significant reset, these are lessons that Keir Starmer’s government does not appear to be heeding.

The starkest lesson from the original Brexit negotiations is that definitions are destiny. Whoever is able to frame the terms of the talks gains the upper hand. Between 2016 and 2020, the EU managed to dictate the course of proceedings by imposing its timetable for negotiations and setting clear red lines around the possible models for the future relationship.

Starmer’s government had a good opportunity to set the early agenda this time, given it took office a full five months before the new European Commission was installed. This is an opportunity that has been missed. Labour has done nothing to elaborate on the four EU policies in its manifesto – agreements on veterinary standards, professional qualifications, touring artists and security cooperation – providing no detail on the substance of each agreement, nor whether, as ministers have hinted, there are more proposals to come.