Overview
- Paul Nowak called for the closest possible UK–EU relationship, explicitly including a customs union, to support growth and household incomes.
- Keir Starmer continues to rule out rejoining the customs union even as figures such as Health Secretary Wes Streeting have floated revisiting the option.
- Former Conservative deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine urged negotiations on a customs union, arguing UK firms have lost market share in Europe since Brexit.
- Nowak tied higher supermarket prices and supply-chain friction to a “botched” Brexit deal and said Donald Trump’s unpredictability strengthens the case for closer European ties.
- Unions welcomed the Employment Rights Act but warned against diluting it, prioritising enforcement on zero‑hours contracts, while Nowak cautioned Labour that union members are drifting to Reform UK without progress on living standards.