LABOUR APPOINTS FALCONER TO LEAD EU RESET TALKS

Hamish Falconer has been appointed as the cabinet minister responsible for post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union under Andy Burnham's government. Falconer said the UK would pursue closer ties with Europe at a faster pace and with greater ambition than previously. He stated there was "room to be ambitious" whilst remaining within Labour's stated red lines, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union.

Falconer identified services as a priority area for future negotiations, citing potential progress on visa-free travel for British workers in the EU and mutual recognition of professional qualifications. He told the Guardian he wanted "a deeper relationship, a more ambitious relationship with the EU" and sought "a sense of renewed pace" in talks. Falconer is a former Middle East minister and diplomat with experience as a Foreign Office negotiator. A long-awaited reset summit proposed for July was postponed following Keir Starmer's resignation as prime minister in June, and no new summit date has been set.

Falconer said his approach to negotiation was shaped by "the art of the possible" and the nature of relationships between negotiating parties. His appointment marks the Burnham government's formal designation of a senior figure to lead EU relations. The comments prompted reaction from those opposed to closer EU integration, according to reports.