For many individuals, 31 January 2020 is etched into their reminiscence, the historic day when Britain lastly left the EU after 47 years membership.

However so far as memorable dates go, 3 February 2025 doesn’t instantly leap out as being exceptional.

So what’s the significance of this specific mid-winter Monday, some 5 years after Brexit Day?

It simply so occurs to be when Keir Starmer turns into the primary Prime Minister this decade to attend a gathering of EU leaders.

Sir Keir regards it as a pure continuation of his efforts to “reset” relations with the bloc.

However many see this as his most brazen act of Brexit betrayal but.

Since he entered Downing Road final July the Labour chief has systematically labored his approach by an ever rising record of how to hitch Britain to the European bandwagon as soon as once more.

His invitation to Brussels follows months of fawning diplomacy throughout which the Authorities has overtly courted buying and selling and safety partnerships with the EU.

Senior ministers have made a number of visits to conferences of their European counterparts, with Rachel Reeves changing into the primary Chancellor since Brexit to attend a gathering of EU finance ministers this week whereas David Lammy met with international ministers earlier within the yr.

February’s journey to the Belgian capital was introduced after Sir Keir met European Council president Antonio Costa for a comfy tête-à-tête in No 10 on Thursday.

Downing Road mentioned the pair additionally regarded forward to the EU-UK summit in early 2025, saying it could “present an vital alternative to make additional progress on key areas to ship tangible advantages for the folks of the UK and the EU”.

This got here after Sir Keir and European Fee president Ursula von der Leyen agreed to carry a collection of annual summits between Britain and the EU once they met in October.

In a really public present of his want for nearer ties with Brussels, the Prime Minister boldly declared he was “placing our relationship with Europe on a extra stable, secure place. That’s what the British folks need.”

Then and now, Sir Keir’s want record is a protracted one.

He needs nearer co-operation on defence and safety, together with power safety, in addition to on local weather change, unlawful migration, and on delivering financial development.

Sir Keir claims he needs Brexit to work within the UK’s curiosity. However the indicators are that he’s making an attempt to unpick as a lot of it as he can, sew by sew.

Late one Friday evening round three weeks in the past the federal government snuck out a job advert to rent a brand new negotiator to assist ship a “reset” of relations with Europe.

They are going to be paid as much as £200,000 – greater than the Prime Minister himself – with a staggering gold plated pension contribution of £44,324 to schmooze eurocrats.

The catchily titled Second Everlasting Secretary for European Union and Worldwide Financial Affairs shall be required to supervise and lead coverage growth on commerce, together with the Windsor Framework, the Commerce and Cooperation Settlement, the Entry and Exit Scheme – a brand new upcoming digital EU border scheme – and different border coverage questions.

Sir Keir has beforehand mentioned he would search a greater cope with the EU on commerce than the one negotiated by Boris Johnson in late 2020.

By gritted tooth he has additionally been at pains to say that resetting doesn’t imply reversing Brexit.

However Sir Keir has a giant downside. A giant Donald Trump-sized downside.

The President-elect’s senior financial advisor Stephen Moore has mentioned the UK has to decide on between the European financial mannequin of “extra socialism” and the US mannequin which is extra based mostly on a free enterprise system.

He mentioned the UK is “caught within the center”, however believed “Britain can be higher off shifting in direction of extra of the American mannequin of financial freedom and if that had been the case, I feel it could spur the Trump administration’s willingness to do the free commerce settlement with the UK”.

Consultants say Labour’s zeal to strip away what it calls “pointless commerce boundaries” can be deeply regarding.

Brussels says these boundaries are a results of the UK’s personal selections: leaving the only market and customs union.

The federal government needs to ease the motion of meals and drinks exports. It needs simpler entry for UK artists, together with musicians to the EU.

Some EU member states need enhanced fishing rights in UK waters.

As former EU negotiator Lord Frost warned: “If the EU offers you one thing, it needs one thing again.”

Trump will dominate world politics and economics for the remainder of this decade and our particular relationship with the US shall be essential to how Britain fares.

Sir Keir’s plans for nearer hyperlinks to Europe on safety and defence are additionally problematic.

Relations have steadily improved since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The 2 sides labored quickly and intently to impose sanctions on Moscow and increase Kiev’s defences. The UK main the way in which on the latter.

However Sir Keir’s push for nearer ties with the EU places Nato in danger, in line with Nigel Farage.

In the summertime, simply days after changing into Prime Minister, Sir Keir opened the door to a brand new safety treaty with Brussels as he hosted 46 European leaders at Blenheim Palace for the European Political Group summit.

The Reform UK boss has warned that Trump might stroll away from Nato if the Europeans undermined it with an EU rival.

“Something that takes us nearer to a European Defence Union is a large strategic mistake,” he mentioned on the time.

On migration, there’s clear cross-Channel settlement that people-smuggling gangs have to be stopped and unlawful migration tackled.

However the way it will get handled is the issue.

The Labour chief has scrapped the Rwanda deterrent, now being thought-about by Germany, which has triggered a surge in small boat crossings.

However with the stroke of a pen he sidled as much as Europe in November, signing three new agreements to crack down on smuggling gangs.

Saying a “main improve” on worldwide co-operation is required, the prime minister introduced plans to signal three new agreements with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo.

The offers will improve intelligence sharing, experience and co-operation so as to intercept felony smuggling gangs, the federal government mentioned.

In the meantime, it all the time pays to learn the small print.

In Labour’s election manifesto this yr, Keir Starmer sought to reassure Brexiteers ruling out a return to the EU single market.

However he did insert a small-print proviso.

The Labour chief mentioned that he didn’t rule out doing a lot the identical factor by realigning Britain piecemeal with EU requirements.

This course of he has now began.

Lord Frost has identified that the federal government’s unremarkable-sounding Product Regulation and Metrology Invoice is one thing of a Computer virus.

Whereas it usually covers product security and weights and measures, a sneakily-inserted Clause 1(2) additionally expressly permits the federal government to import wholesale EU rules on merchandise’ environmental affect.

This clause is just not restricted to merchandise for export to the EU. It explicitly applies to all items placed on the UK market. This can be a huge change.

Though items for export are for apparent causes topic to EU necessities, an vital advantage of Brexit has been to return to producers and importers dealing purely with the home market their freedom to disregard the EU. This freedom is now in danger.

In the end, Sir Keir is taking part in a protracted sport. What Labour strategists are hoping for is a gradual however discreet improve in de facto EU management.

This give up would go away Britain increasingly more within the place of an EU rule-taker like Norway or Switzerland.

However Sir Keir’s hopes to re-enter the EU’s orbit received’t go down with the 17.4 million individuals who voted for Brexit within the first place.

With Reform UK respiratory down the necks of each the Tories and Labour, the Prime Minister’s masterplan for nearer ties with Europe is doomed to failure if immigration numbers, each authorized and unlawful, don’t fall quickly over the following few years and the financial system suffers.

When Sir Keir arrives in Brussels for the February reunion the Union Jack will little question seem subsequent to the European flag.

Will probably be a stark reminder of what he craves however what so many individuals rejected on one other historic and memorable date, 23 June 2016, when Britain determined to give up the EU.