UK Labour leader Keir Starmer says he’ll seek closer ties with the EU if he wins the next election

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British opposition leader Keir Starmer says he will seek a closer relationship with the European Union if his Labour Party wins a national election that’s due by the end of next year. But he said he won’t try to reverse the decision to leave the bloc. Starmer told the Financial Times that the U.K.-EU trade and cooperation agreement negotiated by the Conservatives is “far too thin.” He said Labour would “attempt to get a much better deal for the U.K.” Opinion polls put Labour as much as 20 points ahead of the governing Conservatives. Starmer is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday as he seeks to raise his profile ahead of an election next year.