In a funny way, though, for Sir Keir Starmer to succeed he needs it to seem as insignificant and uncontroversial as possible.
Reform UK, in many ways the successor to the Brexit Party and UKIP, are unsurprisingly making a similar argument.
On the other side of the equation, the Liberal Democrats welcomed “some positive first steps” but urged the prime minister to “be more ambitious”.
If that’s right, then today’s main significance may prove to have been thrusting questions about Brexit right back to the centre of political life.
But if Sir Keir is right that the bulk of the public simply wants as little friction with the EU as possible, then he could prove to be our first truly post-Brexit prime minister.
Without a doubt, this is a big deal. Ironically, though, Sir Keir Starmer needs it to appear as unimportant and uncontroversial as possible in order to succeed.
Examining the specifics of this agreement will be nostalgic or even extremely upsetting for many politicians.
dynamic alignment. disinfection and phytosanitary inspections. fishing quotas. Luxembourg is under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
For the majority of the last ten years, these ideas, organizations, and trade-offs have dominated British politics. And for good reason—as the UK negotiated its separation from the EU, these technical issues turned into highly contentious issues that influenced the relationship that followed Brexit.
No one cares anymore, which is Sir Keir’s big bet.
The prime minister discussed getting past the “stale old debates” of the Brexit years during the press conference with EU chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.
Remember that Labour promised an “improvement” to the Brexit deal in its general election manifesto last year, and that the 2016 referendum was not the only political mandate delivered on this issue.
The top government believes that there is no public pressure to reopen the two main Brexit issues, membership in the single market and the customs union, and that improving relations within those bounds is just common sense.
Of course, pragmatism depends on who you ask. The 12-year extension to current fishing quotas and the UK’s commitment to adhere to EU agricultural regulations have both been denounced as “surrender” by the Conservatives.
Not surprisingly, Reform UK, which is essentially the Brexit Party’s and UKIP’s successor, is arguing similarly.
The Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, praised “some positive first steps” but called on the prime minister to “be more ambitious.”.
The UK should re-join the EU’s customs union, which is an agreement among member states to refrain from imposing tariffs on one another’s goods, according to their stance.
In the days, weeks, and months to come, it will become clear not only what those opposition parties stand for, but also how heavily they campaign on it.
We will know that these parties think there is still a lot of controversy in the decades-long debate over the UK’s relationship with the EU if opposition to today’s deal becomes a considerable portion of their platforms.
If so, the primary significance of today might have been to bring Brexit-related issues back to the forefront of political discourse.
However, Sir Keir may be our first prime minister after Brexit if he is correct in stating that the majority of people just want as little conflict with the EU as possible.
