“It’s day and night. The [conservatives] were tetchy, very closed-minded. But now the guy I have opposite me is well-rounded, more convivial, humorous,” said one outgoing French minister who, like others quoted here, was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The Elysée Palace declined to comment for this story.
While the far-right riots across the U.K. may be what’s on the new British prime minister’s mind at the moment, the French are thinking ahead, hoping that with Labour in power, Anglo-French ties can be strengthened after years of strained relations due to Brexit.
While the relationship between France and the U.K. improved under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak since the worst days of the Brexit talks, tensions remained with some of the Brexiteer ministers of the conservative government.
With them gone, Paris and London are finding a lot of common ground. Both want to Trump-proof defense and security on the Continent in case the former U.S. president returns to the White House.
Starmer has said he wants to reenergize relations with France and deepen cooperation between the defense industries of both countries. He also wants to strike a security deal with the EU and a veterinary standards pact as well as improve conditions for British touring artists with the bloc.
There’s no shortage of goodwill from Paris at the moment. French President Emmanuel Macron himself seemed so excited at Starmer’s win that he called the Labour leader to congratulate him on his win last month before he was officially appointed, a potential breach of protocol. The French president also tweeted a photo of himself in a warm embrace with the newly-elected British premier at the NATO summit in Washington.
