Starmer surrounded grateful for EU meeting

Britain and the EU will meet for a summit on July 22, much later than London had hoped, amid political turmoil and questions over Keir Starmer’s survival as British prime minister in the coming weeks.

Britain had initially pushed for a summit in May, a date that has since moved to June and now to the end of July, as Starmer’s government and the center-right Labor Party leadership have been rocked by political challenges.

Starmer’s political fortunes, rocked by the fallout from scandals surrounding his appointment of Peter Mandelson, a former European commissioner, as ambassador to the US will be decided in a by-election in northern England on Thursday.

The beleaguered British leader welcome summit as “fulfilling our promise to restore our relationship and place Britain at the heart of Europe”.

“Together we will tackle the cost of living, grow jobs and create opportunities for young people.” he said in X.

António Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Starmer announced the date after meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on Tuesday.

“Close EU-UK cooperation is essential for our shared European security, stability and prosperity,” Costa said in a statement.

“We are working closely together to make our upcoming second summit in Brussels on 22 July a success.”

It is possible that in the coming weeks, Starmer will either be forced to resign or face a leadership contest with Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. Burnham is the favorite to replace him if he is elected as an MP in a close vote on June 18.

of The EU hesitates to allow the UK closer economic relations without regulatory alignment, financial contributions and greater youth mobility for young Europeans and is cautious because of Britain’s political instability.

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