Europe Expects "Cooperation" from UK Labour Party after Landslide General Election Victory

Following the UK Labour Party's general election victory, the European Union (EU) and its member states called for close cooperation. The Labour Party won the election on a platform of improving relations with the EU.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said via social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "I look forward to cooperating within a constructive partnership to address common challenges and strengthen European security."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, referred to the upcoming European Political Community (EPC) meeting to be held in the UK on the 18th, stating, "We will discuss common challenges including stability, security, energy, and migration together."

French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated "Sir Keir Starmer (Labour Party leader)" on X, emphasizing, "The UK and France will continue to cooperate bilaterally and in areas such as European peace and security, climate, and artificial intelligence (AI)."

The Labour Party has pledged a pro-European policy, including rebuilding relations with key allies such as France and Germany and pursuing a new security agreement with the EU, which the UK left in 2020 following a referendum.

Ukraine also requested continued support from the next Labour government. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X, "Ukraine and the UK have been trusted allies under any circumstances and will continue to be so. I hope we can closely cooperate to restore world peace and security."

He listed the UK’s support so far, including Storm Shadow missiles, and expressed gratitude for "the unwavering support of the UK government under the leadership of my good friend Rishi Sunak (UK Prime Minister)."

Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, compared incoming Prime Minister Starmer to a modern-day Tony Blair. He said, "The UK is a great ally of Italy and a member of the Group of Seven (G7). We want to maintain good cooperative relations with the UK. The UK is one of our partners and has very good relations with the United States. I believe the winner of this election is the Tony Blair of 2024 and 2025."