The prime minister will host 45 European leaders at Blenheim Palace for the meeting of the European Political Community today, the first opportunity for him to begin lobbying for new arrangements with regard to migrants trying to cross the Channel.
Starmer is set to tell leaders at the summit in Oxfordshire that he wants to "renew" Britain's relations with Europe, with new border controls and an agreement on defence and security at the heart of the renegotiation.
He will introduce a plenary session in the morning during which Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will also speak, amid growing concern among European leaders about what a second US presidency held by Donald Trump might mean for the war in Ukraine.
Starmer said ahead of the meeting: "We cannot let the challenges of the recent past define our relationships of the future. That is why European security will be at the forefront of this government's foreign and defence priorities, and why I am focused on seizing this moment to renew our relationship with Europe.
This story is from the July 18, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 18, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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