But Starmer also sees getting closer to Berlin as central to his push for closer ties with the EU. No. 10 Downing Street said Starmer would stress to the prime minister that he was focused on rebuilding ties with key partners beyond the 2016 Brexit vote.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe and work towards a genuine and ambitious partnership that benefits the British people,” the Prime Minister said in a statement accompanying the visit.
“We need to change course on Brexit and mend the broken relationships left by the previous government. That work began at the European Political Community meeting last month and I am determined to continue that, which is why I am visiting Germany and France this week.
“Strengthening relationships with these countries is vital not only to tackling the global problem of illegal migration, but also to boost economic growth across the continent and in the UK in particular. This is one of the key tasks of my government.”
Starmer argues that closer ties are needed as a way to improve the lives of what Downing Street describes as “hard-working people”.
This is important because Brexit is not popular with all Britons, and any sign that he will back down on the referendum result would spark fury among Brexiteers.
