Shadow Paymaster General Richard Holden has criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Brussels visit, arguing he should focus on British jobs and domestic economic concerns rather than EU relations.
Speaking on GB News, Holden expressed deep concern about the impact of Starmer and Rachel Reeves’s budget on the British economy.
According to Downing Street, Starmer’s Brussels visit aims to rally European support against Russia’s military actions.
The Prime Minister is set to meet Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and dine with leaders from the 27 EU member states.
Richard Holden fumed at the PM for his trip
GB News
Speaking to GB News, Holden said: “We’ve said unemployment, which actually over the last few years we’ve really got under control, real worries about the jobs market there, with employers cutting jobs all over the place.
“At the moment, vacancy rates are falling across the country. The last thing we want to see is tariffs.
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“I really do worry about Keir Starmer on this, because he’s always wanted to be as close to the European Union as possible. We always remember he wanted that second referendum.
“What I want to see is British workers put first and protected, and our economy thrive.
“It’s quite clear with the decisions they’ve already taken, that’s on family farms, on the jobs tax, on so many other issues, that they are not going to put our economy and our jobs first and I really worry about this as well.”
“We need to see all allies stepping up – particularly in Europe,” Starmer will say, according to remarks provided by his office.
Keir Starmer is currently in Brussels
PA
His visit focuses on pressuring Putin’s regime and targeting Russian military resources.
“I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure, targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories to crush Putin’s war machine,” Starmer will tell European leaders.
Since his election victory in July, Starmer has worked to improve EU-UK relations, with his government seeking to reduce trade-related red tape.
However, Interior Minister Yvette Cooper recently ruled out an EU-UK youth mobility scheme, stating: “We’ve been clear that we need net migration to come down.”
Holden claimed that Starmer is ‘putting British jobs at risk’
GB News
This comes as US president Donald Trump has expanded his global trade offensive, having already announced new tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China.
The president insisted his trade war would be worth the “pain” to create a “golden age of America”.
Trump made clear his timeline for EU tariffs was “pretty soon,” while emphasising his grievances with current trade arrangements.
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