© Reuters. Britain’s Labor Party leader Keir Starmer speaks at the event in Manchester, Britain, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble
By William James and Andrew MacAskill
LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labor Party said on Monday he hoped his party would back a new deal on post-Brexit trade deals for Northern Ireland, and outlined plans for the economy, while warning that the country could soon be poorer than eastern European nations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a new deal on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Despite not having seen details of the government’s deal to resolve tensions caused by the post-Brexit 2020 arrangements governing the British province, Labor leader Keir Starmer said any deal would be an “improvement”.
Responding to questions after a speech on the economy in central London, Starmer said he believed it was “almost inevitable” that the European Court of Justice would continue to play a role in governing any deal in Northern Ireland. .
Asked if he would back the deal, Starmer said: “Yes. We haven’t seen the deal yet, but I’m fully aware of what the issues are and what the practical solutions are.”
“Frankly, any move in that direction will be an improvement on what we have, so I can say with confidence that we look forward to supporting the deal.”
Setting out his battle lines for the next national election, expected in 2024, Starmer last week vowed to ensure Britain has the fastest-growing economy among the G7 on a sustained basis if it wins power.
The British economy narrowly avoided recession at the end of 2022 but faces a difficult 2023 as the effects of double-digit inflation hit households.
Labor published an analysis showing that a measure of living standards in Britain could lag behind Poland by 2030 and eventually Hungary and Romania without changes to the policy.
The party said that, based on average annual growth of 0.5% between 2010 and 2021 in Britain, that figure would be below Poland’s GDP per capita by 2030 if Poland maintains its average annual growth of 3.6%. .
The comparison was based on purchasing power parity, a measure that takes into account what money can buy in different countries and typically shows tighter differences than unadjusted comparisons.
Poland, a former communist state, has experienced rapid growth since joining the European Union in 2004, thanks in part to the injection of hundreds of billions of euros in development funds into the bloc. Like Britain, it is experiencing high inflation and an expected slowdown.
Labor did not respond to a request for details about who had conducted the analysis.
Using the same analysis, the party said that by 2040, Britain on its current trajectory would drop $12,000 per person behind Romania and $8,000 per person behind Hungary, provided they stayed on the same trajectory.