Labour ‘actively exploring’ rejoining £9bn EU scheme, Secretary of State reveals

Sir Keir Starmer is "actively exploring" rejoining major EU schemes to find "areas of mutual benefit", the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has revealed.

But Peter Kyle assured this would not result in any “major sovereignty impacts” on the UK’s relationship with the Brussels bloc.

Asked about re-entering schemes such as the EU’s £9billion Galileo satellite programme, into which Britain invested £1.2billion, the Labour frontbencher suggested that it could represent an economic and scientific opportunity.

He told the Express: “This Government has a priority of rebuilding relationships. We've been very firm that we are not rejoining the EU or its major institutions.

“But we are extremely open-minded and ambitious for what we can achieve by finding areas of mutual benefit that will have economic and scientific opportunities for Britain without having major sovereignty impacts as well.

“We think there are many of those opportunities out there. And we are actively exploring all of them.”

Britain has already rejoined the EU’s £85billion Horizon Europe research scheme and Copernicus space programme post-Brexit in what was hailed as a “real milestone” and a “clear win-win”.

On December 4, 2023, the EU and UK completed the final step towards the UK's association with Horizon Europe as a participating state.

At the time Iliana Ivanova, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth said: “I am happy to welcome the UK back to the Horizon family.

“This is a real milestone, a clear win-win for both sides and for global scientific progress.

“Together, we can push further and faster. I have made association of non-EU countries to Horizon Europe my personal priority, and we are delivering.”

It came as part of the Windsor Framework, a post-Brexit legal agreement between the European Union and the UK which adjusted the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, struck under Rishi Sunak’s premiership on October 1, 2023.

The deal also involved the UK re-entering Copernicus, which is the Earth observation component of the European Union's Space programme.

There are other European programmes in which the UK continues to play a key role such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Secretary of State Mr Kyle pointed out.

He said: “We are a member of the European Space Agency.

“And play a very significant role in the ESA, which has no relationship with the EU.

“Of course, the EU has a central role in it as a member just as Britain is.

“A lot of these relationships that we have with our continental partners are extremely important but people should not always confuse the fact that they are with the EU.”

Mr Kyle went on to highlight the work he was doing to champion the UK’s homegrown space industry, pinpointing the UK’s “geographic advantage over the rest of continental Europe when it comes to vertical takeoff”.

He said: “The first speech I gave Secretary of State was in Farnborough to the space industry. I have visited Glasgow already to see satellites being manufactured in this country.

“I visited a rocket-producing company in Scotland when I was in Opposition.

“I met with a team from the SaxaVord spaceport [situated on the Lamba Ness peninsula on the Shetland Island of Unst] which is a potential vertical takeoff site.

“We have a geographic advantage over the rest of continental Europe when it comes to vertical takeoff.

“And I'm intrigued to explore that opportunity and how we as a Government facilitate the orbital market. So I'm putting in the legwork to understand the potential.”

Mr Kyle also explained he had visited the rocket-making company SkyOra in Scotland.

He said: “They had expressed quite deep frustration that there had not been more Government involvement, bearing in mind that they are literally doing rocket science in our country.

“The value that highly skilled work brings to our economy is huge.”