The invitation had been belatedly extended by the Elysée Palace. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Paris for the November 11 Remembrance Day ceremonies went far beyond the historic tribute to the soldiers who died in the Great War. As France and the United Kingdom celebrate the 120th anniversary of their Entente Cordiale this year, Starmer, above all, came to flesh out his plans for rapprochement with the European Union and its main member states.
At a time when Donald Trump‘s return to the White House is prompting a large part of the European continent to quake in fear, the Labour leader, who is on the outs with the Republican politician, is rushing to rebuild ties that were altered by years of all kinds of squabbling over Brexit.
The move was particularly aimed at France, which has also been anxious to move on from almost a decade of “cordial disagreement.” Since coming to power in July, Starmer, who supported remaining in the EU in the 2016 referendum, has been viewed favourably in Paris. His willingness to reset relations with Europe has come as a contrast with the bitterness seen in talks with previous Tory prime ministers, from Theresa May to Boris Johnson.
Deep down, however, France remains on its guard. It has refused to amend the agreements that regulated the UK’s exit from the EU. Prime Minister Michel Barnier, then-chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels opposite Her Majesty’s governments, is rather attentive to this subject, as is Emmanuel Macron. Unlike Germany, which has always been keen to make trade more fluid, Paris has no intention of making concessions in this area.
‘Special responsibility’
On the other hand, the French authorities are hoping to push defense cooperation forward, at a time when Europeans are wondering how to weather the Trump storm, which looms on the horizon once he takes office on January 20. “France is among the most hostile to reopening the Brexit agreements, but London and Paris are obliged to play the rapprochement game for geopolitical reasons, in the face of Russia,” observed Sébastien Maillard, a special adviser to the Jacques Delors Institute, associated with the Chatham House think tank in London: “France and the UK have an interest in talking about something other than fish, and feel a particular responsibility for the continent.”
At a time when the French-German bond is more strained than ever and in anticipation of a likely change of administration in Berlin after the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2025, France, which is also in the depths of its own political crisis, has reaffirmed its historic ties with its longstanding British ally.
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