Sir Keir Starmer’s bid to cosy up to the EU will be a “disaster”, Boris Johnson has warned.

The former Prime Minister said Brexit has allowed Britain to forge its own path, pointing to the Covid vaccine rollout and AUKUS defence pact.

Mr Johnson warned Sir Keir is “determined to roll all this stuff back”.

He told Camilla Tominey on GB News: “Having secured full national independence, we were able to do things differently, such as the vaccine rollout, such as the AUKUS pact, such as taking a different stance from our European partners on Ukraine.

“What worries me now is that the Starmer Government is really determined to try to roll all this stuff back.

“It will be a disaster.

“Britain, in a globalised economy, ultra competitive, globalised economy, needs to be able to do things quickly.

“There is much, much more we could do.

“There is scope to do much, much more. It’s about believing in Britain, right? It’s about believing in this country’s ability to do things differently.

“Brexit is part of it.”

Asked if Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are trying to reverse Brexit, Mr Johnson said: “This is the key point.

“Of course they are. Now, if we’d been a rules taker, yes, at the end of 2020, 2021 we would not have been able to authorise AstraZeneca, Pfizer.

“It’s very, very important and that was how by March 2021 we had vaccinated 45% of the UK population program compared to 10% of the UK population.”

The Prime Minister vowed to “put the Brexit years behind us” ahead of a meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council chief Charles Michel and the European Parliament’s Roberta Metsola.

Sir Keir said he wants to “establish a more pragmatic and mature relationship with the European Union”.

But furious Eurosceptics warned it is the latest sign the Labour leader will betray the British people over the historic decision to quit the bloc in 2016.

A joint statement after the talks said the two had agreed to meet again this autumn, with a plan for regular EU-UK summits at leader level beginning in early 2025.

“They agreed a stable, positive and forward-looking relationship was in their mutual interests and provided the basis for long-term co-operation,” the statement said.

“They agreed to take forward this agenda of strengthened co-operation at pace over the coming months, starting with defining together the areas in which strengthened co-operation would be mutually beneficial, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience, in full respect of their internal procedures and institutional prerogatives.”

Speaking in Brussels, Sir Keir said: “I firmly believe that the British public want to return to pragmatic, sensible leadership when it comes to dealing with our closest neighbours, to make Brexit work and to deliver in their interests, to find ways to boost economic growth, strengthen our security and tackle shared challenges like irregular migration and climate change.”

He added that “in dangerous times we have a duty to work together to preserve stability and security”, referring to the crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.

Sir Keir said: “We are determined to put this relationship back on a stable, positive footing that I think we all want to see.”

Ms von der Leyen said the various arrangements put in place since the Brexit vote, including the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) needed to be fully implemented.

She said: “We have a set of solid agreements in place. We should explore the scope for more co-operation, while we focus on the full and faithful implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Windsor Framework and the TCA.”

The Prime Minister is under pressure to agree to Brussels’ calls for a deal on youth mobility, to allow young EU citizens greater freedom to come to the UK to study and work and vice versa, something he has so far resisted.

The Prime Minister’s red lines for the reset rule out a return to the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement.

But pro-EU campaigners have pushed for him to give ground on a youth mobility scheme.