Starmer’s summit for nothing

For those of you with a long memory and in interest in international relations, or even Star Trek movies, the phrase “Only Nixon could go to China” will perhaps bring a smile to your lips.

Towards the end of his presidency, Nixon re-established diplomatic relations with Beijing, recognised the Communist government and then visited China itself. A move so momentous that there is even an opera about it.

“Only Nixon” could do this because as a visceral anti-communist he could afford to be seen to bend, when others would have been accused of betrayal. Even so the John Birch Society, the far right, conspiracy theory pushing, ultra-anti-communist pressure group still denounced him.

Which brings us to Brussels. Sir Keir Starmer spent Wednesday there holding talks with all and sundry. Not, you might think, a very radical thing to do, but it actually is quite a step.

Just the mere act of meeting the EU in Brussels is now a brave act for the PM, such is the toxic environment created around Brexit. So, in the style of Nixon, he has had to burnish his anti-EU credentials before his visit.

Free movement is off the table, no youth mobility schemes will be allowed, we are never re-joining the single market, the list goes on.

True, ahead of the talks he stood with European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen and said “I firmly believe that the British public want to return to pragmatic sensible leadership when it comes to dealing with our closest neighbours”.

But interestingly von der Leyen first called for the “full and faithful implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, the Windsor Framework and the TCA”. Starmer didn’t mention them, which gives some idea of how far the UK has failed to grasp the EU’s way of doing things.

The last government signed deals and then blithely ignored the details, the promises and the commitments. Brussels will want to see this government do what it says it will do, and meet those commitments, before it is going to trust the UK again.

The joint statement at the end of the visit was full of platitudes and little else. Much depends on what is meant by “They agreed to take forward this agenda of strengthened cooperation at pace over the coming months, starting with defining together the areas in which strengthened cooperation would be mutually beneficial, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience”. It could mean serious talks on rowing back on the harm caused by Brexit, but it sounds suspiciously like nothing more than warm words.

As the PM’s press conference after the visit made clear, the room for rowing back is severely limited as Sir Keir immediately ruled out any return to “freedom of movement, the single market or the customs union”. On the prospect of EU youth mobility schemes, Starmer said he has not had “a discussion that went into the details at this stage”.

Instead, it was apparently all really about establishing “good faith” and setting a better “tone”, with negotiations on areas of mutual interest and new regular summits between London and Brussels, to assess progress.

All very nice, but let’s face it, tying your hands behind your back to appease the Brexit supporters makes for bad or at least very slow diplomacy. And to what purpose?

The Tory Party is increasingly looking like the John Birch Society – out of touch, conspiracy theory-supporting bigots and mono-obsessional fools. But Nixon ignored such people and survived.

What Starmer needs to do now is to ignore the Tories and their rabid attack dogs in the press and do what is best for the country.

Nixon offered China recognition and big power status. Starmer seems to have offered the EU nothing much at all and as a result got little back in return.

I suppose even going to Brussels is a start. Tone does matter, trust is vital. But frankly, no one is ever going to write an opera about this visit.