Keir Starmer can’t build a stronger European partnership by stealth. He has to declare it aloud | Rafael Behr

Not overmuch astir Britain’s post-Brexit narration with the European Union is settled, but Keir Starmer tin justifiably assertion it has been “reset”. That connection was artfully chosen earlier past year’s predetermination to formal debased aspiration arsenic precocious diplomacy. There are 10 days of dialog earlier the summit successful London, wherever a caller UK-EU concern is owed to beryllium unveiled. It volition beryllium much outline than substance. But determination is advancement successful the precise information that Britain’s ruling enactment sees Brussels arsenic a partner, not a parasite.

Old-guard Eurosceptics will, of course, denounce immoderate woody arsenic a betrayal of Brexit. If determination are plans for a time-limited, youth speech visa, it volition beryllium decried arsenic a instrumentality to escaped question by the backmost door. If determination is statement to align regulations truthful that goods tin much efficiently transverse borders and the European tribunal of justness is progressive successful adjudicating compliance, the precocious priests of sovereignty volition anathematise it for heresy. Any commonality connected c levies oregon renewed support for the French to food successful British waters volition beryllium painted successful shades of surrender.

But the imprecations volition beryllium muttered from the sidelines to a dwindled assemblage of zealots. Most Britons spot the imaginable of amended relations with the EU arsenic desirable, oregon astatine slightest uncontroversial. That was already existent successful 2023, erstwhile Rishi Sunak signed the Windsor framework to hole bugs successful the mode that Brexit applied to Northern Ireland, and erstwhile helium agreed that British scientists could rejoin the EU’s Horizon scheme. It was existent erstwhile Kemi Badenoch, arsenic Sunak’s commercialized and concern secretary, dropped a deadline for the automatic expiry of thousands of EU regulations that had been retained successful UK law. Those accommodations with world were besides dilutions of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Sunak enjoyed cordial relations with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. She called him “dear Rishi” successful a property conference.

If a reset is defined by warmer rhetoric and a committedness to halt doing truly anserine stuff, the process was nether mode adjacent earlier Starmer entered Downing Street. To observe the continuity is not to downplay the quality that a Labour authorities makes. The centrepiece of Starmer’s program is simply a defence and information confederation framed successful presumption of continental solidarity and, by implication, a hedge against American strategical infidelity. That would person been taboo to immoderate Tory leader. The aforesaid applies to thing arsenic evidently sensible arsenic an statement to clasp regular summits, formalising a strategy for rolling UK-EU dialogue.

In important respects, Starmer has renounced the Europhobic tone that guided Johnson’s Brexit. But successful much important ways helium is stuck with the missive of the woody that Johnson really signed. Its halfway functions are preserved successful reddish lines ruling retired a instrumentality to the azygous marketplace oregon the customs union.

If determination is worth successful that prohibition, it consists lone successful electoral tactics. As economical argumentation and strategical positioning, it is pointlessly self-limiting. Maybe it was indispensable to neutralise Brexit arsenic a toxic contented successful the predetermination campaign. We tin lone hypothesise astir counterfactual scenarios wherever Labour kept much options unfastened and was either punished by voters oregon won a ample bulk anyway. But the country for manoeuvre disposable wrong those reddish lines is measurable, and it is small. A veterinary agreement, easing borderline friction for cultivation exports, is bully to have, for example, but it won’t stimulate a bounty of growth.

Refusal to deviate from Tory-era Brexit orthodoxies is doubly limiting. By ruling retired ambitious models of aboriginal integration, and doing truthful successful transparent fearfulness of a home backlash, Starmer discourages Brussels negotiators from flexibility adjacent successful those areas wherever treatment is permitted. It sends the awesome that British politics, beneath the caller aboveground warmth of a Labour government, retains a heavy and acold taste suspicion of the European project. It conveys systemic ignorance, tediously acquainted from Brexit negotiations, of however the EU adjacent works; however it is an confederation governed by laws and treaties that signs deals with states, not governmental parties.

Starmer earned a goodwill dividend by virtuousness of not being a Tory, but helium overestimates the leverage that gives him arsenic an designer of aboriginal relations erstwhile his successor could feasibly beryllium Nigel Farage.

Pro-European vibes from a Labour premier curate besides cannot flooded the asymmetry of Johnson’s Brexit, which was conceived successful aggression against Brussels but inflicted much harm connected Britain. It didn’t permission the EU broadside wanting much. Starmer does person cards to play. In the European league, the UK’s defence and information capabilities are equalled lone by France. Russian aggression successful Ukraine, coupled with Donald Trump’s vindictive anti-European streak, marque a lawsuit for hugging Britain adjacent – but not if the Brexit microorganism is simply dormant.

The trade deal that Starmer agreed with the US president connected Thursday whitethorn not clash explicitly with goals helium is simultaneously pursuing successful Brussels, but the balancing enactment is inherently unstable. Trump hates the EU for its geopolitical autonomy arsenic a continental trading bloc. He wants it broken. That is understood successful Brussels arsenic an existential threat.

Sooner oregon later, determination volition travel a situation that forces Starmer to take betwixt solidarity with Europe and vassalage to Washington. His studious effort to support equidistance is liable to beryllium interpreted successful Brussels arsenic different grounds of deep-tissue Brexitism successful the UK assemblage politic.

That needn’t fuss the premier curate if his ambitions for a aboriginal EU narration are even much humble than they look; if his explanation of a caller strategical concern is simply a slow, grinding technocratic accommodation to the presumption quo. But if helium truly has thing much important and transformative successful caput helium indispensable state it aloud, not conscionable successful Brussels but astatine home.

Getting a bully woody from the EU and earning nationalist enactment for it are portion of the aforesaid process. A person who looked susceptible of changing the presumption of debate, proactively challenging Brexit myths, would unlock goodwill successful negotiations and get a amended deal. A pro-European docket tin beryllium precocious lone truthful acold by stealth. At immoderate point, the clip indispensable travel to triumph the argument. And that can’t hap with an statement that is ne'er adjacent made.

• Rafael Behr is simply a Guardian columnist