British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he will pursue greater access to the European Union¡¯s single market, setting up a political fight with Reform UK party chief Nigel Farage that he hopes will help turn his government¡¯s fortunes around this year.
¡°If it¡¯s in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the Single Market, then we should consider that, we should go that far,¡± Starmer told the BBC on Sunday. The United Kingdom is better placed to gain more market access than form a customs union with the bloc because it avoids unraveling trade agreements brokered with the United States and India last year, he said.
It marks Starmer¡¯s strongest language yet on his desire to soften Britain¡¯s Brexit deal, nearly a decade on from the referendum, and follows a growing debate in the final weeks of 2025 about forming a customs union with the EU in a bid to revive the British economy. Even Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy ¡ª two likely leadership hopefuls if Labour challenges Starmer ¡ª recently suggested they¡¯d be supportive of such a move, despite an election promise not to do so.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.