487. Is Starmer Rethinking His Approach to Europe? (Question Time)
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Welcome to the Restless Politics Question Time with me, Rory Stewart. And me, Alistair Campbell. So, Rory, we're going to talk about your AI series, which I'm thoroughly enjoying. We're going to talk about Keir Starmer and the Customs Union and the single market and a few interesting things he said about that. We're going to talk about the Bondi Beach terrorist assault and the continuing political fallout. We're going to talk about Roman Abramovich and his lawyer. Tory Shadow Attorney General, and we're going to talk about the curious world of the release of National Archives. First question, we had a very foreign policy based main episode. Let's start with a more, well, it's a bit foreign, but quite domestic.
Finley Morris, who is from Devon, is a Trip Plus member. Is there anything in Keir Starmer's comments about the single market worth getting hopeful about? Or is this yet another lukewarm statement which doesn't excite anyone? This is a comment on an interview that Keir Starmer did with Laura Koonsberg on the BBC. It follows some interventions from West Streeting, David Lammy and others suggesting we should get closer and closer and closer. To the European Union, particularly the single market. Sum it up, I would say Keir Starmer was basically saying, we've got to protect these trade deals that we've done with the US, India, and the European Union. Not going the whole way, but we've made lots of different progress on food, agriculture, Erasmus, other areas.
And we're going to keep going in that direction. Cue headlines the next morning of the right-wing papers. Starmer prepares for full Brexit betrayal. I wish. Right.
Yes, you wish. So, yes, the story that I got, at least, was that David Lammy, Manoush Shafiq, who's the economic advisor at West Streeting, were pushing more for a customs union. And just to remind, again, listeners, customs union is basically not free movement of people. It's instead a big... trade deal from the point of view of the farmers in Cumbria, who I care a lot about, definitely much more beneficial, don't have the customs problems, and you also don't have the problems of cheap meat coming in from Australia and New Zealand. Single market is essentially the situation that Norway finds itself in. which is it's not in the customs union, it's in the single market, but it has free movement of people, etc.
I would have thought of the two, the single market is probably tougher for Keir Starmer to sell because the free movement of people bit is the bit that- And he clearly wasn't going that far. So I then want to come back to you, because again, you were saying in the car that if Labour is looking for something to do now, what they need to do is come full out for rejoining the European Union, hold a referendum on it.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:58
2
What does Keir Starmer mean by 'closer alignment' with the EU?
5:58–13:28
3
How does the political landscape affect the perception of Keir Starmer's comments?
13:28–14:01
4
What is the significance of the Customs Union versus the Single Market in UK politics?
14:01–36:27
5
How should a centrist government respond to national trauma after the Bondi terror attack?
36:27–37:17
6
Is a Royal Commission necessary in response to the Bondi Beach tragedy?
37:17–40:48
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Rest Is Politics
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