Brexit talks have got off to a ‘very, very bad start’ says Sir Keir Starmer

LABOUR’S shadow Brexit minister Sir Keir Starmer has claimed Theresa May’s approach to talks with the EU is simply not working – after getting off to a “very, very bad” start.

Visiting a German-owned factory in Birmingham, Sir Keir was asked to comment on reports European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker had emerged from Downing Street talks “10 times more sceptical than before” about the Government’s plan for Brexit.

After joining Birmingham Erdington MP Jack Dromey in talking to managers and workers at the Guhring plant in Aston, Sir Keir also urged both Remain and Leave voters to consider the future of Britain’s economy.

Sir Keir, who spoke to workers from other parts of the EU worried about their right to remain in Britain, said of the Government’s current stance on Brexit: “I think the talks have got off to a very, very bad start.

“I don’t doubt that this leak (regarding talks with Mr Juncker) is irritating for the Prime Minister but the contents are really worrying.

“And I think that rigid approach, that fixed approach that she has taken here in the UK is simply not working with our EU partners.

“We need to be flexible, we need to be smart and we need to understand how negotiations go – so she has got off to a very, very bad start I’m afraid.”

Mr Dromey criticised the Government for “insulting” Britain’s EU partners and opting not to guarantee the right of workers from other parts of the bloc.

He and Sir Keir chatted with several workers as they were given a tour of machinery at Guhring’s new site, which makes specialist tooling for firms including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Airbus.

The firm, which has operated in the UK since 1973, recently moved from premises in Mr Dromey’s constituency.

Speaking after the tour, the Birmingham MP said: “I was a trade union negotiator for 30 years and one of the things I learnt is that you don’t start negotiations by insulting the people with whom you negotiate.

“Erdington is one of the poorest constituencies in the country. It matters that we retain a strong manufacturing base here in Britain – it’s absolutely vital therefore that the Government gets it right. At the moment they run the serious risk of getting it badly wrong.

“We want British people living abroad and people who come from abroad living here to have confidence that they have a future in the country that they love.

“And to talk here to the EU nationals who are vital to the company but who express concern about will they be secure for the future, frankly it’s heartbreaking.”