Sir Keir Starmer pledges to work with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party if it wins French election
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer said he will work with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party if it wins the French election.
The National Rally has secured the biggest vote share in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections.
The far-right party won over a third of the vote, with Macron’s centrist alliance in third with 20.7 per cent of the vote.
Sir Keir Starmer has said: “I will work with any government in Europe and across the world if we are elected to serve the country.
“For me, that’s what serious government is about.”
He went on to say a victory for France’s National Rally would not damage Labour’s goal of negotiating a “better deal” with the European Union.
Pressed on Le Pen’s preference for bilateral deals over EU-wide ones, Sir Keir said: “I’ve always supported bilaterals as well as EU-wide agreements.
“They’re not mutually exclusive.”
He also said existing bilateral deals with France could be “stronger and better” when it comes to dealing with smuggling gangs sending people across the Channel.
The two-round vote means the final result may not be totally clear until next week, but if the National Rally comes out on top again it would force Mr Macron to make Ms Le Pen’s 28-year-old protege and party leader Jordan Bardella prime minister.
The French president and prime minister have been from different political parties only three times in its history.