When Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is only one level behind you within the opinion polls, the very last thing you wish to be reminded about is Brexit.
In case you’re Sir Keir Starmer, that’s.
Little question Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, was making an attempt to be pleasant. In spite of everything, as Sir Keir mentioned, they share a ardour for Arsenal Soccer Membership.
However when Mr Tusk declared at their joint information convention in Warsaw that his dream was “as a substitute of a Brexit, we could have a Breturn”, Sir Keir visibly cringed.
Was it an ambush? Not fairly. But it surely was actually awkward for the UK prime minister. He stood stiffly and did not reply, not as soon as uttering the phrase “Brexit”.
Mr Tusk, nevertheless, has kind for bemoaning Brexit. He was, in any case, the president of the European Council when the UK voted to depart the EU in 2016.
He would possibly now be in his second spell as Poland’s PM, however his 5 years on the EU make him the last word Brussels insider, who’s by no means made any try to cover his emotions on Brexit.
Previous to the UK referendum, in September 2015, he mentioned Brexit “could possibly be the start of the destruction of not solely the EU but in addition of western political civilisation in its entirety”.
His most outspoken assault on the UK’s Eurosceptics got here in 2019 when the-then prime minister Theresa Might was struggling to get a deal. He spoke of “what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit“.
Sir Keir additionally visited Ukraine on his journey to Japanese Europe. Pic: PA
Standing alongside Sir Keir, he revealed that “for apparent causes” they mentioned co-operation between the UK and the EU. He recalled that his emotional response to the referendum in 2016 was “I already miss you”.
He went on: “This isn’t nearly feelings and sentiments – I’m conscious this can be a dream of mine, that as a substitute of a Brexit we could have a Breturn.
“Maybe I am labouring below an phantasm. I might slightly be an optimist and harbour these desires in my coronary heart – generally they arrive true in politics.”
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A dream? Or a calculated transfer? As a Brussels insider, was Mr Tusk talking for the EU as a complete? Was he doing Brussels’ bidding?
He might have returned to steer his homeland, however he stays a key participant in Brussels.
On turning into Poland’s PM in 2023, he ended a dispute with Brussels which unlocked billions of frozen EU funds for his nation.
He additionally orchestrated the return of his centre-right ally Ursula von der Leyen as European Fee president.
And Poland has simply taken over the rotating presidency of the EU, which implies Mr Tusk will likely be vastly influential as soon as once more, chairing conferences and setting agendas.
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Poland is again within the European mainstream. It is the place Mr Tusk would really like the UK to be as effectively.
It is the place, privately, Sir Keir would really like the UK to be. It is simply that with Reform UK nearly neck and neck with Labour within the polls, he daren’t say so.
