Brexit betrayal fears after David Lammy boasts EU will be Labour's ‘number one priority'

The Tories have blasted Labour after Sir Keir Starmer's Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the EU will be the party's "number one priority" in Government.

Mr Lammy, who alongside Sir Keir spent years trying to reverse the result of the EU referendum, pledged that a Labour government will "shift" UK-EU relations away from the Government's current approach.

Speaking about Labour's pro-EU credentials, the Shadow Foreign Secretary described Sir Keir's relations with EU ambassadors as "like honey on toast", compared to Tory Prime Ministers' separatist attitudes.

Speaking to the i newspaper, Mr Lammy appeared so confident his pro-EU stance will go down well with the public that the Tories may have to shift their own position on Brexit.

He also only ruled out rejoining the EU in the current "political cycle", suggesting it could happen if there were ever a cross-party consensus.   

Anti-Brexit Rally In London© Getty

He said: "My sense is that Europe would demand one, Britain would have to demonstrate that. So I don't see that over the next political cycle."

He said: "The European Union is our number-one priority. It's our number-one priority because it's our backyard.

"It's our number-one priority because there is war in Europe and because I believe our future prosperity and security is predicated on good relationships with our European partners."

Mr Lammy pledged there would be "a tonal shift under a change of government with our neighbours in Europe" if they win the election next year.

He also pledged the party will hold regular talks with the bloc, around every four months "to discuss the issues that matter to both parties. We need to get back to that".   

The EU will be Labour's 'number one priority' according to David Lammy© Getty

The top Labour politician also hinted that a Keir Starmer government will enter into a security pact with the EU in light of Russia's war in Europe, despite Brexit Britain playing a leading role in the conflict without the EU's help.

He slammed Boris Johnson for rejecting a security pact with the EU, despite the former Prime Minister being considered a world leader in his response to Ukraine's invasion. 

He said: "He rejected a defence-security pact with the European Union and we said that we think a security pact is fundamental.

"I think war in Europe demonstrates that.

"There are important processes that the European Union goes through in relation to terrorism and other things that we pulled out of so there's a security pact that I think is really important."

In September Sir Keir was rounded on after also saying he doesn't want to take advantage of Brexit freedoms.

Speaking at a gathering of centre-left leaders in Canada, he was accused of wanting to "rejoin the EU in all but name" after saying he doesn't want to "diverge" from the EU.

He said: "Most of the conflict with the UK being outside of the EU arises in so far as the UK wants to diverge and do different things to the rest of our EU partners.

"Obviously the more we share values, the more we share a future together, the less the conflict. And actually, different ways of solving problems become available.

"Actually we don't want to diverge, we don't want to lower standards, we don't want to rip up environmental standards, working standards for people that work, food standards and all the rest of it." 

Story by Christian Calgie:Daily Express