Britain's Labor seeks stronger EU relations without reopening Brexit wounds

For a decade, leaving the European Union was the question that dominated British politics. These days it barely comes up, which is clearly how Labor Party leader Keir Starmer likes it.

He has worked diligently to win back the support of working-class voters, millions of whom were lured away five years ago by Conservative Boris Johnson's promise to "get Brexit done," when Labor campaigned to leave a path open to stay in the EU.

Starmer's reward is polls that now predict him sweeping into Downing Street as prime minister at the end of this week, possibly with a historic majority. But if he does get there, he won't be able to keep Brexit out of the news for long.

His mandate will be to spur economic growth. Businesses say that would require lifting some of the barriers that Britain's exit from the EU has left in the path of their trade. And that, in turn, is likely to mean reopening contentious negotiations with Brussels.

Britain finally left the EU in January 2020 under Johnson. In its determination to turn the page on Brexit, Labor has ruled out rejoining the EU single market or customs union. 

But it says it is still possible to remove trade barriers with the 27-nation bloc, to help companies, particularly smaller ones, which have struggled with higher costs and paperwork.

Labor does not want to "reopen the wounds of the past," said Jonathan Reynolds, the Labor lawmaker who is in line to become business secretary in a Starmer cabinet.

"Clearly, we need to get a better deal, and there are real improvements we could achieve," he said at an event on Thursday hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the business lobby group which has said parties should stop "treading on eggshells" over EU ties.

Reuters