Starmer Signals Willingness to Collaborate with France’s Far-Right Amidst Legislative Election Turmoil

Starmer is open to collaboration with French far-right, stating it's part of 'responsible governance'

Following a strong performance in the initial phase of France's legislative elections, Marine Le Pen's party is poised for potential success. Sir Keir has expressed his willingness to cooperate with her National Rally party should they emerge as the winners.

Political correspondent @fayebrownSky

Monday, July 1, 2024, 4:

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Sir Keir Starmer expressed his readiness to collaborate with Marine Le Pen's far-right party should they emerge victorious in the French elections, stating that "this is the essence of responsible governance."

The National Rally (NR) has emerged as the leading party in terms of vote percentage during the initial stage of France's legislative elections.

The outcome could potentially give the anti-immigration party a decisive majority, compelling French President Emmanuel Macron to establish the nation's first far-right government elected through a democratic process in contemporary times.

Sir Keir has stated that if that occurs, it should serve as "a lesson" for progressives to improve their engagement with disillusioned voters.

When questioned about the possibility of collaborating with the NR should he secure victory in the UK election this Thursday, he responded: "Should we be elected, I am prepared to cooperate with any government in Europe and globally in order to serve our nation. That, to me, is the essence of responsible governance."

Sir Keir expressed that a win for France's National Rally would not hinder Labour's objective to secure an improved agreement with the European Union.

'Mutual agreements can be more robust and improved'

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When questioned about Ms. Le Pen's inclination towards bilateral agreements rather than EU-wide agreements, Sir Keir stated: "I have consistently favored both bilateral and EU-wide agreements. They are not contradictory to each other."

He mentioned that some of our existing agreements with France are inherently bilateral and suggested that these could be improved and strengthened, especially in the area of tackling smuggling rings that facilitate illegal crossings of the Channel.

When questioned about the potential challenges a Eurosceptic French government might pose to his goal of strengthening economic relations, he responded, "I really don't want to speculate too much. First of all, the results in France are not yet final. We also have a significant event of our own coming up on Thursday."

"I believe it doesn't change our main goal, which is to secure a more favorable agreement with the EU."

"I believe the agreement we have is flawed. It seems that everyone engaged in trade with the EU shares the sentiment that it's flawed, and we could improve not only in terms of trade but also in areas like research and development, and security."

Error in judgment by Macron

France operates under a semi-presidential framework, and the upcoming elections will determine the representatives for all 577 seats in the National Assembly.

The voting process involves two rounds, indicating that the final outcome might remain uncertain until next week. Should the National Rally lead once more, it would force President Macron to appoint Marine Le Pen’s 28-year-old protégé and the party's leader, Jordan Bardella, as prime minister.

Throughout its history, France has experienced only three instances where the president and the prime minister hailed from distinct political parties.

President Macron, having been chosen in an independent presidential election, decided to advance the date of the parliamentary elections following a significant defeat of his Renaissance party by Ms. Le Pulen's party in the European elections.

His reasoning behind the gamble was that the country would regain its rationality and reject the extremist right-wing politics that are currently gaining ground across Europe.

On Monday, Sir Keir expressed concerns that not dealing with the current disenchantment in British politics might lead to serious consequences.

'Only forward-thinking individuals hold the solutions'

Discussing the lessons learned from the surge in nationalism and populism, the leader of the Labour Party expressed that "it is essential to tackle the daily issues faced by numerous individuals in the nation who feel alienated from the political process."

We must confront these issues directly and demonstrate, both this Thursday in the United Kingdom and globally, that progressives alone possess the solutions to the problems we face at home and throughout Europe.

"We must advance our progressive agenda, but in doing so, it's essential to comprehend why, after 14 years of turmoil and disappointments in the United Kingdom, there is a widespread disenchantment with politics. We need to restore politics to a role of service and persistently argue that politics can be a positive force."

When questioned about his thoughts on the National Rally's impressive performance, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized his attention on the current election and pointed out the government's initiatives to address illegal migration.

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