Ukraine and migration on agenda as UK hosts Europe summit amid worries over Trump presidency – politics live | Politics
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- July 18, 2024
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‘We want to reset relationships’ says Keir Starmer as he opens the EPC summit
Lisa O’Carroll
Keir Starmer has opened the European Political Community summit underlining the bond of trust that brightens the fabric of European life.
He said:
Thank you so much for being here. It is, of course, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. And we stand for the values that he embodies around the world, liberty and democracy – yes, of course – but also defiance and resolve in their defence.
Today as a new storm gathers over our continent, we choose to meet it in that same spirit, and we choose to meet it together. And that is the choice of the government that I lead …
We want to work with all of you to reset relationships, rediscover our common interest. And renew the bonds of trust and friendship, the right and the fabric of European life.”
Key events
Liz Truss has sent a follow-up letter to the head of the civil service demanding he investigate how “slurs” against her ended up in a briefing document, reports the PA news agency.
Text describing Truss’s mini-budget as a “disaster” was removed from briefing notes published alongside the king’s speech after she complained to the head of the civil service, Simon Case, that references to her were “untrue political attacks”.
Briefing notes about the contents of the speech, delivered by King Charles on Wednesday, also included references to the “mistakes” of economic policy under Truss, the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister.
Her latest letter includes a list of questions for Case, including whether he has opened an investigation, who gave the final signoff to the document and how civil servants will be held to account if they have breached the civil service code.
According to the PA news agency, Truss also asks how many physical copies of the “errant document” were printed and whether he has made efforts to recover and pulp unissued copies.
“I am very disturbed that this material impugning my name found its way into a civil service document published on the first day of the new parliament,” she writes.
She added:
That not a single person who drafted, edited, proofed or signed off so significant a document saw fit to challenge the slurs against me would only go to suggest that there is a settled view in Whitehall which accepts the narrative of my political opponents without challenge. This should be a matter of deep concern to the British public.”
Whether the UK would accept some asylum seekers in exchange for returning some migrants to the EU is not under discussion at the EPC summit, Yvette Cooper has said.
The home secretary said the focus is “around security” and “organised immigration crime” when pressed repeatedly on what a potential UK-EU migrants return deal could entail.
She told the BBC’s World At One:
That’s not the discussions that the European Political Community is having. What their focus is is around security.”
She continued:
The returns arrangements we’re talking about is developing returns arrangements right across the world… We’re immediately moving hundreds of staff into the returns and enforcement unit.”
Lisa O’Carroll
The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has once again backed calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and release of hostages, following the visit by David Lammy.
He said:
I fully agree with what foreign secretary Lammy said in his recent trip to the Middle East. We need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, the protection of civilians, unfettered access to aid in Gaza. And finally, a pathway towards a two-state solution.
I see the Knesset passed a resolution against the recognition a state of Palestine. If they are against a two-state solution I ask what is the alternative way toward a lasting and sustainable peace?”
The prime minister discussed Italy’s deal to send migrants to Albania for processing during an informal talk with Edi Rama.
Keir Starmer and his Albanian counterpart also discussed support to Ukraine during a “brush-by” chat at the European Political Community (EPC) summit at Blenheim Palace.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
The prime minister was pleased to get time to sit with Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, at today’s EPC.
The two leaders discussed issues of European security including migration, specifically innovative solutions such as the Italy-Albania partnership.
They also discussed support to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression; and UK cooperation in the western Balkans. The prime ministers agreed to continue to strengthen the relationship between our two countries.”
After the opening speeches, the European leaders posed for a family photo in front of Blenheim Palace:
We mentioned this earlier but in case you missed it, here’s how the schedule for today looks (all timings are BST):
10am: Opening session
11.30am: Family photo
Midday: Thematic roundtables
1pm: Opportunity for bilateral/multilateral meetings and lunch
2.45pm: Closing plenary
3.45pm: Reception with His Majesty King Charles III
4.45pm: Bilateral/multilateral meetings and departures
Irish prime minister says decisions by Starmer in first two weeks of office are a ‘gamechanger’ for Europe
Lisa O’Carroll
Irish prime minister Simon Harris has said the decisions made by Keir Starmer in his 14 days in office are a “gamechanger” for Europe.
Harris was reacting to Starmer’s opening speech to the EPC summit in which he pledged to remain in the European Human Rights Convention and to remain “friends and partner of the EU”.
Harris said:
There’s been a gamechanger now. You have a British government that wants to actively talk about a closer relationship with Europe, the importance of multilateralism, staying within the ECHR, working closely with Ireland, talking about language around co-guarantor of our peace process. So it’s a very different landscape to the one we would have been discussing were we standing here only weeks ago.”
“The Rwanda policy is gone. It’s dead. It’s finished. The scraping of the Rwanda policy and then, secondly, commitments [to] the ECHR. I think they’re both very, very important steps,” said Harris.
You might have noticed that European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is not in attendance at the EPC summit today. That’s because the meeting coincided with a secret vote by members of the European parliament on her second term as its head.
Reuters is reporting that von der Leyen has won support from EU lawmakers for another five-year term as president of the commission. The 720-member European parliament approved her with 401 votes in favour, 284 against and 15 abstentions. She needed 361 votes to pass.
There’s some more of Zelenskiy’s speech from earlier. As reported by the BBC, the Ukrainian president told leaders gathered at Thursday’s EPC summit:
On Russian missiles, drones and planes: “There must be a collective will to shoot them down just like the Iranian missiles and drones … Your bravery can be decisive. People should feel Europe is becoming closer.”
On Vladimir Putin: “He [Putin] has failed to create division in Europe.” Zelenskiy also said that Putin has sacrificed “tens of thousands of his citizens but has achieved nothing significant”.
On the Russia-Ukraine war: “[The] reality on the battlefield is more convincing than anything … We have stopped Russian advances on Kharkiv.”
Zelenskiy added that the more effective his country’s air defences are, the more helpless Putin will be and that it will be more likely that Russia will seek peace.
On Ukraine’s relations in Europe: He thanked those that had supported Ukraine in its bid to EU membership, saying: “This proves that even in the most difficult of circumstances, the EU can keep its promises.”
He also thanked those supporting Ukraine’s attempt to become a member of Nato, and those who helped organise the first Ukraine Peace summit. “It was a success for everyone who wants a just end to this war,” he said.
“Joint efforts are needed for the sake of peace … When the aggressor loses, the world wins.”
Stepping away from the EPC summit for a moment, Keir Starmer has released a statement in response to the UK Covid-19 inquiry’s report. He said the report confirmed that “the UK was underprepared for Covid-19” and that policy “failed UK citizens”.
The prime minister said in a statement:
The memories brought about by the inquiry will be very difficult for many people. My heartfelt sympathies go out to all those who lost a loved one during that time.
The pandemic showed us that the backbone of Britain is made up of those committing their lives to service – key workers like carers, nurses, paramedics, cleaners and teachers. They put themselves in the eye of the storm, and together with people up and down the country, many of them lost their lives or are still living with the impact of the virus.
Today’s report confirms what many have always believed – that the UK was underprepared for Covid-19, and that process, planning and policy across all four nations failed UK citizens.
The safety and security of the country should always be the first priority, and this government is committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and putting better measures in place to protect and prepare us from the impact of any future pandemic.”
As we reported earlier, Keir Starmer has said the new UK government wants to rediscover common interests with neighbouring countries in his speech at the opening of the European Political Community summit.
You can watch a clip from that speech here:
The day so far
If you’re just joining us, here’s a rundown of the day’s main developments:
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Foreign secretary David Lammy has said the UK is “nowhere near” negotiating agreements with the EU, as Labour begins a cautious rebuilding of the UK’s relationship with Europe at the European Political Community summit.
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Keir Starmer opened the European Political Community summit underlining the bond of trust that brightens the fabric of European life. He added that the UK “will never leave the European Convention of Human Rights”.
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Volodymyr Zelenskiy has addressed EPC summit and asked if Europe will ‘surrender’ to ‘tyrants’. He also rounded on Viktor Orbán’s self-styled peace mission and meetings with Putin and Trump, calling them a betrayal of Europe.
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The EU’s high representative, or chief diplomat, Josep Borrell has said Brussels is willing to sit down with the UK to draw up a new security and defence pact. “We welcome the new tone of the British government and we look forward to engaging with it. We are ready to reinforce our foreign and security policy cooperation,” he said.
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Charles Michel, the president of the European Council which represents EU leaders has said they are ready and open to a new chapter of cooperation with the UK on migration and other global challenges.
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