Starmer to Bring UK Closer to EU       05/11 06:11

   

   LONDON (AP) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Monday to prove the 
"doubters" in his own party and among the electorate as a whole wrong as he 
tries to fight off demands to step down after devastating local election 
results for his Labour Party.

   Starmer argued that he will "face up to the big challenges" and restore 
"hope" to the country. That includes getting closer to the European Union and 
"putting Britain at the heart of Europe," a decade after the U.K. voted to 
leave the EU.

   "I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I 
will," Starmer said during a speech in London. He vowed to prove to millions of 
people "tired of a status quo that has failed them" that the government is on 
their side.

   He said Labour is in "a battle for the soul of our nation," and the U.K. 
will go down "a dark path" if Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by 
Nigel Farage, comes to power.

   Starmer is warned it's his last chance

   But Starmer's position is fragile, with dozens of lawmakers calling for him 
to announce a date for his departure.

   Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, a powerful lawmaker often seen 
as a potential challenger, said "what we are doing isn't working, and it needs 
to change."

   Rayner did not explicitly call for Starmer to quit, but accused him of 
presiding over "a toxic culture of cronyism" and said the government must "stay 
true to labor and social democratic values" and ease the cost of living for 
working people.

   "This may be our last chance," Rayner said in a statement on Sunday.

   Labour has been plunged into gloom by heavy losses last week in local 
elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales. The 
elections have been interpreted as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose 
popularity has plummeted since he swept to power in a landslide less than two 
years ago.

   His government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair 
tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by 
repeated missteps and policy U-turns on issues including welfare reform. He has 
been further hurt by his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a 
scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain's ambassador to 
Washington.

   Last week's elections saw Labour squeezed from both right and left, losing 
votes to both Reform UK and the "eco-populist" Green Party. It reflects the 
increasing fragmentation of British politics, long dominated by Labour and the 
Conservatives.

   Starmer hopes to regain momentum with Monday's speech and an ambitious set 
of legislative plans to be set out in a speech Wednesday by King Charles III at 
the State Opening of Parliament.

   He told an audience of party lawmakers and activists in his speech that the 
government will take control of Britain's energy, economic and defense security 
and make the country fairer.

   A key policy is closer ties with the EU, which the United Kingdom left in 
2020, four years after the "leave" side narrowly won a membership referendum. 
Starmer's government has already moved to ease some of the trade restrictions 
that have burdened British businesses since Brexit, and he says he will secure 
a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the 
continent.

   Starmer said the government would be "defined by rebuilding our relationship 
with Europe."

   Labour campaigned to stay in the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign, but 
has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country. 
Starmer has ruled out seeking to reenter the EU, or to rejoin the bloc's 
customs union or single market, things that would make a big difference to 
British businesses.

   Rivals weigh making a move

   None of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers 
to Starmer -- including Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater 
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham -- has yet called for him to resign.

   But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a 
timetable for his departure. British politics allows parties to change leader 
midterm without the need for a new election.

   Josh Simons, a formerly loyal Labour lawmaker, wrote in the Times of London 
that Starmer "has lost the country" and "should take control of the situation 
by overseeing an orderly transition to a new prime minister."

   Catherine West, a former junior minister, says she will try to trigger a 
leadership contest unless Starmer delivers a barnstorming speech on Monday. 
West acknowledged she does not have the support of 81 colleagues, needed to 
force a contest, and her move appeared to be an attempt to force more 
high-profile contenders to make a move.

   "Working people sent us a message," West said. "We have to listen to that, 
and we have to change and we have to do it quickly."