Sir Keir Starmer hints he would bring back EU free movement at next general election

Sir Keir Starmer today hinted he could campaign to bring back EU freedom of movement at the next general election as voting began in the Labour leadership contest. 

Sir Keir, the favourite in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn, said he ‘will have to see what the situation is in 2024’ when asked directly if he would fight for the UK to have a Norway-style relationship with the bloc.

He also vowed to remove salary thresholds from the UK’s immigration system as he said they are not the ‘right measure for the worth of an individual coming to this country’. 

The comments could make it even more difficult to win back Leave-supporting parts of the country which have abandoned the Labour Party in recent years. 

The intervention came as leadership ballot papers were finally sent out to party members. 

They will now have six weeks to make up their minds, with voting scheduled to close on April 2 and a winner announced on April 4. 

Sir Keir is facing Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey for the right to succeed Mr Corbyn. 

Sir Keir is facing Rebecca Long-Bailey (pictured left) and Lisa Nandy (pictured right) in the final round of the Labour leadership contest

Tensions in the race appear to now be heating up with allies of Ms Long-Bailey accusing Sir Keir of having ‘corporate’ paymasters. 

Sir Keir has warned that Labour risks being out of power for a generation unless it unites and stops ‘taking lumps out of each other’. 

If the shadow Brexit secretary wins the contest he will lead the party into a general election which will take place after the UK’s new relationship with the EU has been finalised.  

Sir Keir was asked this morning whether he would campaign to bring back EU free movement and advocate a closer relationship with Brussels like that of Norway. 

He replied: ‘We will have to see what the situation is in 2024. Johnson has made a lot of promises about the deal he will get. We will have to see what it looks like.’

He added: ‘The basic premise that you don’t make it more difficult for businesses to do business seems so blindingly obvious to me that we should take their advice.’ 

Freedom of movement will end at the close of 2020 with the UK’s new immigration system due to be introduced at the start of 2021. 

The new border control system will require migrants to earn at least £25,600 in order to be let into the UK. 

Sir Keir suggested he would ditch salary thresholds from the immigration system. 

‘I think the idea that if you don’t earn a certain salary you are not bringing anything of any worth to this country is offensive,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. 

Asked if he would scrap the threshold, Sir Keir said: ‘I would. I do not think they are the right measure for the worth of an individual coming to this country.’

Sir Keir said Labour needed to ‘listen to people’ about their concerns but insisted the party needed to ‘make a positive case’ for immigration. 

Sir Keir was also asked if he would give Mr Corbyn a role in his shadow cabinet after Ms Long-Bailey said she would offer the incumbent a frontbench role. But he refused to be drawn.

‘There has been so much speculation – I haven’t discussed that team with anybody,’ Sir Keir said. 

He dismissed speculation about who could be in his top team as ‘all rumour’ and insisted he is ‘focused on winning this race’. 

All three of the leadership challengers have committed to offering their losing rivals jobs in the shadow cabinet. 

It came as allies of Ms Long-Bailey accused Sir Keir of being backed by big business. 

Ian Lavery, the current chairman of the Labour Party, said he was ‘absolutely astounded by the huge corporate donations’ for some candidates. 

Shadow Cabinet minister Jon Trickett urged activists to donate to Ms Long-Bailey’s campaign and said ‘Becky does not have money from wealthy private donors or big corporations’.

‘Members surely ought to know who is paying for each of the campaigns before they vote,’ he added. 

Members and party supporters who have signed up for a fee will begin receiving their ballots today, with batches being sent out by email and post throughout the week. 

They will also select a new deputy leader between candidates Angela Rayner, Dawn Butler, Ian Murray, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Richard Burgon.