The Labor Party, which is expected to come to power in Britain in the upcoming parliamentary elections, said on Friday that it would establish closer relations with the European Union to erase Brexit “grudges” in the event of victory.

This general election “is an opportunity to turn the page on past grudges after Brexit,” said David Lammy, 51, who is tipped to become foreign secretary in a Labor government.

The date of the election has not yet been set, but voting is expected to take place in the second half of this year. Labor has been leading the polls for months, with a 20-point lead over the ruling Conservative Party.

If Labor comes to power, it aspires to “re-establish a structured dialogue with the European Union on the issues they deserve”, said David Lammy.

Labour, which has not been in government for 14 years, is mainly proposing to negotiate withnew “security pact” with the EU.

This agreement will allow to have “enhanced coordination on a wide range of issues, military, economic, climate, health, cybersecurity and energy security,” Lammy recently wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine.

The deal would see the EU and UK’s “unwavering engagement” within NATO completed, while a Labor government would “step up efforts to maintain close relations with France, Germany, Ireland and Poland “.

The Labor Party also intends to conclude an Anglo-German defense deal, similar to the Treaty of London signed with France in 2010.

“Our diplomacy must rediscover the art of grand strategy,” said Lammy, who says he wants to pursue a policy driven by “progressive realism.”

The head of Labor, Mr Keir Starmer, had voted for the country to remain in the EU in the referendum of 2016. However the center-left party has ruled out the possibility to return to the European single market, the customs union or to allow the free movement of citizens again if he comes to power in the United Kingdom, where the debate over the consequences of Brexit remains intense.

In mid-April, London defied Brussels’ hopes by refusing to start negotiations on restarting youth mobility between the EU and the UK, which paid the price of leaving the EU.

With Brexit, the UK has largely withdrawn from the Erasmus international exchange program for students. He proposed his own mechanism for students, the Alan Turing program.

David Lammy did not rule out the European Commission’s proposal to restart youth mobility and said the issue would “be part of the discussions” Labor will have with the European executive.

Apart from relations with the EU, Labour’s positions on diplomacy broadly echo those of the current Conservative government.

Like the Tories, Labor is expected to continue to support Ukraine to help it fend off Russian invasion and pursue a tough policy against China, following recent espionage and cyber-attack cases involving Beijing.