| Rather than cross-channel youth exchanges, Labour hopes that foreign and security policy can be the starting point for conversations with the EU. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, has already met several of his EU counterparts and is keen to pursue an agreement on shared policy goals – including tackling the climate crisis, as well as aiding Ukraine. Jennifer says many EU diplomats welcome the notion of a foreign and security pact – Theresa May was negotiating such a deal as part of Brexit talks, before Boris Johnson ditched the idea. But she suggests the UK will have to make some more concrete proposals before much progress can be made. “There’s a general sense of ‘this is a good thing, but we need to see the detail’ – so it’s a bit of a waiting game.” There were signs after Wednesday’s talks that the two sides are starting to do the groundwork. A joint statement said the EU and UK would work “at pace” on an “agenda of strengthened cooperation”, mentioning issues including energy, security, resilience and the economy, with a UK-EU summit to be held “ideally early in 2025”. Labour’s red lines When it comes to the economic relationship, Labour’s red lines – no to the single market, no to the customs union – will constrain its ambitions. Jennifer says even some of the limited changes proposed in the party’s manifesto will be tricky to negotiate. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications, so that lawyers or bankers could work across the UK and the EU, is something the bloc does offer to some non-member states – but only after extensive negotiations. She points out that the EU recently agreed mutual recognition of architectural qualifications across member states, but it took three years to finalise. A veterinary agreement, aimed at cutting down checks at the EU border, is also a clear possibility – the EU has one with Switzerland, for example – but again it will take time. “There’s a view here that it’s a bit more complicated than it might appear at first glance and it’s not something you can just stroll up and negotiate over a weekend.” Similarly, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has suggested the UK seek “bespoke” arrangements with the EU in key industries such as chemicals, accepting EU regulations as the quid pro quo. But Jennifer believes that approach is unlikely to fly. “The EU have just said so many times that they want to protect the integrity of the single market,” she says. “Once you start having an a la carte approach, their fear is that you start to pick holes in it.” So while Keir Starmer may have left Brussels with the warm glow of a friendship rekindled, the detailed work is yet to begin, and Labour’s self-imposed red lines will limit its room for manoeuvre. Nevertheless, Jennifer says, “against all the difficulty and the complexity of all these issues, broadly people are appreciative of this new prime minister and hopeful that it could mean a better relationship”. For more reporting on Europe, sign up here to get This Is Europe straight into your inbox every Wednesday | 