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Two weeks into his prime ministership, Starmer has had an opportunity to show his European credentials. And he took it

It is a pleasure today, on behalf of my country to extend a hand to all of you. To say that, under my leadership Britain will be a friend and a partner ready to work with you. Not part of the European Union but very much a part of Europe. Not focused on the differences between us but on the values that we share. United by our determination to defend them and certain about what we can achieve together.

Keir Starmer, opening address, Blenheim 18 July 2024.

For one day last week Oxfordshire was at the centre of the political world. It was a joy to see the Heads of Government from almost 50 European countries congregate willingly at Blenheim Palace, and a relief to see them all arrived safely home afterwards without incident.

The meeting of the European Political Council in Blenheim was less a formal decision making meeting than an opportunity for the leaders of almost all European countries, both inside and outside the EU, to get together and glad hand. Two weeks into his job as Prime Minister it gave Keir Starmer the opportunity to raise his international profile and show his up opposite numbers that the UK is once again open for business, and he did this magnificently. And it is hard to believe that by this time he had already, as prime minister, made visits to the capitals of all the devolved nations and also attended the NATO summit in Washington. And his foreign secretary, David Lammy, had already made a tour of three European capitals.

One thing is certain, had the election happened earlier and Starmer been in post at the time of the D-Day commemoration, he most certainly would not have left halfway through, before the international commemoration had even started.

Timing

And yet the timing of D-Day, NATO and Blenheim were in no way under this government’s control. Ironically, the Blenheim meeting was planned two years ago under the prime ministership of Liz Truss. I wonder how she would have coped last week? It could have been seen as a gift for her successor, Mr Sunak, if he had wanted to take the opportunity to host such a high profile meeting. We might still wonder what inspired him to call the election just a few weeks too early for that.

Many of our friends, old and young, in the pro European movement took the opportunity to stand at one of the gates to wave European flags at the passing dignitaries. They will certainly have been seen and hopefully the message would have come through that many British people are dedicated to pro European values, and that the xenophobes and isolationists are now on the back foot. And they got good coverage not only in the local but even in the Spanish press. Due credit to those who were able to make it, including the organiser, Magdalena Williams, who came all the way from Kent, and who has written about it in more detail. Sure was joined by Sue Wilson who flew over from Spain, Catherine Bearder, former MEP from Oxford, and several others. All credit also to the police for making it possible.

Back on the agenda

Hopefully the success of this event will add impetus to our campaign to see that Europe is put properly back on the agenda. We believe that even if politicians of the two main parties have been reluctant to discuss the issue in their election campaigns, the public are ahead of them. According to opinion polls only about 15% of people believe that Brexit has been beneficial. While most people would put numerous other issues, headed by the cost of living crisis, ahead of Brexit in their hierarchy of priorities, we need to remind them that the pain they’re feeling and the Brexit rabbit hole they were taken down by the last government, these two things are directly connected.

And for those who shout, with increasing stridency but declining plausibility, the word “sovereignty”, let them reflect on one thing. All those EU leaders who lined up on the steps of Blenheim Palace represented countries which are proud, distinctive and sovereign. They have agreed to come together at the EPC and in many other joint fora, because it makes sense. Indeed it is the only way forward in these challenging times. Our Prime Minister knows that and, unlike his predecessors, has no political need to pretend not to.

Questions, questions…

On a related point, Blenheim, like all of Rural Oxfordshire, changed hands in the General Election. The newly-minted LibDem MP for Blenheim, or to be exact, Bicester and Woodstock, is our friend Calum Miller, and I was pleased to see that it was he who opened the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the new era, on the highly topical question of sewage. But he had already put a question 2 days before, on the EU’s proposal of a youth mobility scheme. Sadly, if he was hoping for a change of heart from Labour on that topic, it was not to be, at least yet. Yet we have a PM who understands the value of better relations, and we can live in hope that the Blenheim event will be seen by future historians as a portent of better things to come. In his heart of hearts he knows, as William Keegan points out, that his twin aims of tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade and maintaining a hard Brexit are simply not mutually compatible. He knows it, perhaps the time is coming when he will say it.