Prime Minister Keir Starmer may need to give in to two concessions to EU leaders to ‘reset’ relationships with the bloc – and both could lead to fury from Red Wall Labour voters.

Mr Starmer has attempted to reset relationships with a number of European nations in recent weeks, including high profile meetings with French President Emmanuel Marcon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Irish Premier Simon Harris.

Keir Starmer and Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris in Dublin this weekend (Image: Getty)

On his trip to Dublin this weekend, the Prime Minister said there was a need to be “ambitious and bold” when examining reform of regulation and trade barriers and spoke to his hoped for a wider ‘reset’ with countries in the 27-member bloc.

However, the Mail reports leaders in Brussels are unhappy with Mr Starmer’s approach of dealing with individual leaders rather than the EU as a whole.

One diplomat is cited as saying: “The EU hates the idea of separate little deals because it would damage the EU project. It’s all or nothing for them.”

Keir Starmer meets Olaf Scholz of Germany (Image: Getty)

And there are suggestions Mr Starmer could leave empty-handed unless he gives ground on key points that may not please leave voters who returned to Labour in the 2024 General Election.

According to the Mail, Mr Starmer would have to return freedom of movement for EU citizens under 30 to the UK as part of a youth exchange programme, with young people in the UK also likely to regain it for EU countries as part of the deal.

The other concession it suggested was that the Prime Minister would have to exempt EU students from the higher international student fees UK universities charge to other overseas students.

Writing for the paper, Glen Owens claimed: “If Sir Keir agrees, pro-Brexit voters – include those in the northern Red Wall seats Labour won back from the Tories in the General Election – will surely revolt.

Keir Starmer with French President Emmanuel Macron (Image: Getty)

“But if he doesn’t, he will leave any talks empty-handed.”

Mr Starmer has previously said that the UK will not rejoin the Customs Union or the Single Market within his lifetime – with EU sources reportedly saying he needed to manage expectations about what was possible as a result.

As a result of these red lines, the Mail quoted one Labour source as believing the Prime Minister has ‘boxed himself in’ as he cannot offer ‘anything meaningful’.

SEE MORE :

Laura Kuenssberg skewers Starmer as she exposes huge flaw in £22bn black hole claim

Laura Kuenssberg picked apart one of Sir Keir’s most often repeated claims since winning power (Image: GETTY; BBC)

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg ruthlessly dismantled one of Labour’s key claims in their blame game of the last Tory government.

Since Labour won the election in July, the party of Government has repeatedly warned of difficult decisions ahead, blaming the Tories for reckless economic plans.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that “worst economic inheritance since World War Two,” adding that the Government has had to deal with a £22 billion black hole left by the Conservatives.

However, Ms Kuennsberg quickly pushed back on this in an analysis on the BBC website, where she pointed out that £9 billion of that much-quoted black hole figure was due to the public sector pay rises above-inflation which Labour granted.

In July, Ms Reeves agreed to give British public sector workers such as teachers and doctors inflation-busting pay rises worth £9.4 billion in a bid to avoid disruptive industrial action.

Starmer claims the Government has to deal with a £22 billion black hole left by the Conservatives (Image: Getty)

At the time, Ms Reeves blamed the previous Conservative administration for covering up the scale of the black hole in the public finances. The Chancellor added that the Government will have to cut public spending in other areas.

The BBC host wrote: “From the moment any government takes charge, their decisions matter.

“Part of the ‘£22 billion black hole’ that Labour loves to mention is £9 billion public sector pay rises – above inflation – that it has decided to grant.”

She went on to note that Labour insiders claim that the £22bn figure is hitting home in voter focus groups.

The scathing rebuke from Ms Kuennsberg comes ahead of her sit-down interview with Sir Keir Starmer in No 10 which will air tomorrow morning. It will be his first major interview from Downing Street.

She summed the Labour’s blame-game tactic on X, posting: “The new govt’s been busy playing the blame game, so when does the buck pass to them?”

Ms Kuennsberg highlighted the doom-and-gloom approach of the Labour’s first two months in power, saying they have focused on “the dire state of the economy, the dreadful state of our prisons” with a review of the NHS also on the way.

One senior government source told the BBC: “I’m prepared for people to get sick of hearing about the inheritance from the Tories.”

The BBC political host suggested that the tone of Sir Keir’s government will shift in early 2025, when the government hopes to deliver on its manifesto promises.