LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer used his keynote address at the Lady Mayor’s Banquet to deliver his most forceful critique of Brexit since becoming the Labour leader, warning that treating the withdrawal from EU as a template for future foreign policy would be “utterly reckless” and that Britain must reclaim its tradition of confident international engagement.

Starmer, who led Labour to a landslide victory in 2024 but has seen a fall in approval ratings recently, made clear that Brexit and Britain’s place in the world remain at the heart of his foreign policy vision.

He said that for decades there had been a shared understanding that Britain should be “outward looking, engaged and active on the world stage,” a consensus he described as “as British as fish and chips or the Guildhall itself.”

'Wild promises were made to British people and not fulfilled'

But that settled view, he argued, was shattered in 2016. “Brexit broke that consensus,” he said, adding that while the vote was a “fair, democratic expression,” the way it was sold to the public was profoundly dishonest.

“Wild promises were made to the British people and not fulfilled,” he said, insisting that the UK is still paying the economic and political price.

Starmer said he raised this “not to rake up the past, but to learn from it,” arguing that the belief that Brexit could solve the country’s problems “has clearly been proved wrong.”

Starmer reserved some of his strongest language for those now calling for the UK to leave the European convention on human rights, a move championed by both the Conservatives and Reform UK.

He warned that the same “spurious argument” used to sell Brexit was now being repeated.

“Walk away, and all our problems will be solved,” he said sarcastically, describing this approach as a drift toward isolation that betrays Britain’s interests and values.

To apply the Brexit model again, he said, would be “utterly reckless.”

'In these times, internationalism is patriotism'

Starmer framed the alternative as a confident, outward-facing Britain that understands the realities of a “dangerous and unstable” world.

“In these times, we would not take control by turning inward, we would surrender it,” he said.

The premier argued that global instability, from conflict in Europe to rising geopolitical competition, makes international engagement essential, not optional. “In these times, internationalism is patriotism,” he declared.

He listed a series of trade, security and technology agreements his government has struck over the past year as proof that “we have made Britain a trusted partner again.”

"We’ve won fierce competitions for multi-billion pound contracts - with Indonesia the other week, supporting 1,000 shipbuilding jobs. With Norway to build new Frigates, supporting 4,000 jobs. And with Türkiye for Typhoon jets, securing 20,000 jobs," he said.

He insisted his foreign policy is rooted in protecting British jobs and security, and that he fights for the national interest “every time I sit at the table.”

Starmer also used the speech to set out his approach to China, rejecting both a return to the Cameron-era “golden age” and the hardline “ice age” advocated by others.

“Neither golden age, nor ice age,” he said, arguing that engagement paired with robust security is the only realistic path. “We protect ourselves better because we engage,” he added.

“In these dangerous, volatile, competitive times, we deliver for Britain by being strong on the world stage, not by vacating it,” he said.