Does Britain need to get closer to the European Union?

To elite Remainers in the UK, the EU represents all that is good and holy. Apparently, it is a motor of economic dynamism, a haven of political stability and a shining beacon of liberal, democratic values. Leaving it, they say, as the public voted to do in 2016, has put Britain on the path to economic and social ruin.

Labour prime minister Keir Starmer, while accepting Brexit on paper, clearly agrees with this elite consensus. His government is looking for a major reset in UK-EU relations. He sees deeper trade ties with Brussels, and closer alignment with EU rules, as critical to kickstarting economic growth. He even sees closer collaboration with Europe as the solution to the migration crisis in the English Channel. Ahead of a recent meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, Starmer said it was more important than ever to be ‘in lockstep’ with Brussels.

But this starry-eyed view of the EU seems to be a delusion confined to Britain’s ruling class. Over on the continent, even ardent Europhiles are sounding the alarm about the EU’s mounting problems. French president Emmanuel Macron warned earlier this month that the EU faces a ‘mortal’ threat from economic decline. The staunchly pro-EU governments of Germany and Poland are defying EU diktats on migration and asylum. Meanwhile, European voters are turning en masse towards populist, Eurosceptic parties. The EU settlement on migration, on Net Zero and on the economy is coming under strain like never before.