Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Vincent McAviney: UK correspondent on EU leaders' meeting with new Prime Minister
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Going to Vincent mcavinie, who is our UK and Europe correspondent.
- 0:04Speaker 1: The European political community has met, including President Zelenski.
- 0:10Speaker 2: Good morning, Ryan. Yes, that is right. So this is
- 0:12Speaker 2: a new invention actually of French President Emmanuel Macron, and
- 0:16Speaker 2: it's meant to try and unite Europe in the wake
- 0:18Speaker 2: of the Ukraine War beyond just the nations that are
- 0:21Speaker 2: in the EU and NATO. So for instance, why the UK,
- 0:24Speaker 2: which is no longer in the EU, plays a part
- 0:26Speaker 2: in it. It was held today at Blenham Palace, the
- 0:29Speaker 2: birthplace of Winston Churchill, and dozens of European leaders got
- 0:33Speaker 2: together to discuss the challenges facing the continent. Now, this
- 0:36Speaker 2: was a big opportunity for our new Prime Minister, Sir
- 0:40Speaker 2: Keir Starmer to try and reset the relationship with Europe.
- 0:43Speaker 2: It was a bit of a gift actually him having
- 0:45Speaker 2: the election and then this meeting just two weeks later
- 0:48Speaker 2: by former Prime Minister Rishie sunek so so kaos. Starmer
- 0:51Speaker 2: has been meeting all his fellow European leaders. He said
- 0:54Speaker 2: that he wants to reset in relations with the European Union.
- 0:58Speaker 2: He's not saying that the UK is going to rejoin
- 1:00Speaker 2: or he wants us to rejoin anytime soon, but he
- 1:02Speaker 2: thinks that a better deal could be struck, particularly on
- 1:05Speaker 2: a key issue facing all nations in Europe now, and
- 1:08Speaker 2: that is a legal migration. He wants countries to work closer,
- 1:12Speaker 2: more cooperation on smashing gangs which are involved in human trafficking,
- 1:17Speaker 2: and particularly a better deal with the French because of
- 1:20Speaker 2: the passage through the channel, with the UK currently paying
- 1:24Speaker 2: millions to the French to try and stop that, but
- 1:26Speaker 2: the numbers growing every single year. He's admitted to Keir
- 1:29Speaker 2: Starmer that it's a hard challenge but he's trying to
- 1:32Speaker 2: lead by the from the front by announcing about eighty
- 1:35Speaker 2: four million pounds worth of UK AID to fund projects
- 1:38Speaker 2: in Africa and the Middle East to try and stop
- 1:41Speaker 2: the illegal migration at its source and from people traveling
- 1:44Speaker 2: up to Europe.
- 1:45Speaker 1: Vincent, thank you for that. That's Vincent mcavinie, our UK
- 1:48Speaker 1: and Europe correspondent.
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