Conservative Shadow Treasury Minister Richard Fuller has branded Sir Keir Starmer a “very poor negotiator” who is failing to put British interests first, as the Prime Minister met with EU figures in Brussels.
Speaking to GB News, Fuller criticised the timing of Starmer’s EU visit, which coincides with recent trade comments from Donald Trump.
“Him popping over for dinner to the EU the same day as President Trump has himself said there’s a difference between the UK and the EU about how the US will look at future trade relations. It doesn’t send a good signal to President Trump,” Fuller said.
The Shadow Treasury Minister expressed concern about Starmer’s negotiating abilities, particularly in relation to potential US talks.
Richard Fuller hit out at Keir Starmer for meeting with Britain’s EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday
“I’m afraid so far, the Prime Minister has shown that he’s a very poor negotiator, doesn’t have the skills, and he’s up against President Trump, who’s a good negotiator,” Fuller added.
Starmer’s Brussels visit marks the first time a UK Prime Minister has attended an EU summit dinner since Brexit in 2020.
Fuller emphasised that British interests should be the priority in international negotiations.
“He should be prioritising British interests. And that was the point of Brexit five years ago, which is that our leaders need to focus on what’s in our best interests,” he told GB News.
Keir Starmer arrived in Brussels on Monday to attend an EU Summit, and met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Reuters
The Shadow Treasury Minister pointed to Trump’s recent success in negotiations with Mexico as evidence of the US president’s deal-making prowess.
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“You can see that every day, even just today, with the changes that Mexico has made and the rollback of tariffs for Mexico, because they got the point,” Fuller said.
Fuller also addressed growing political dynamics, commenting on a recent YouGov poll showing Reform UK’s rising support.
“The threat is that if small c conservative-minded people who care about the future of their country, look at the mess that Labour is making of it in office, continue to split their votes between two parties, then we end up with another Labour government,” he said.
He noted there was significant common ground between Reform UK and Conservative supporters.
Fuller told GB News that Starmer should ‘prioritise British interests’
GB News
“There’s so much that people in Reform, in the Conservative Party agree about. We don’t want to make those differences part of the problem of continuing with this very socialist government,” Fuller told GB News.
The Shadow Treasury Minister acknowledged past Conservative mistakes but expressed confidence in Kemi Badenoch’s leadership setting “a new course”.
Discussions between the EU and UK are expected to focus on defence and security cooperation, with Starmer urging EU countries to pledge more support to Ukraine.
Behind the scenes, talks of a potential youth mobility scheme between the UK and EU have emerged, though the government maintains there are “no specific proposals on the table”.