UK looks to reset EU relations 5 years after Brexit

LONDON -- The U.K. and the European Union will meet in London on Monday to discuss closer ties in their first official summit since Brexit.

The meeting between U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and top EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is intended to pave the way toward a new agreement between both sides.

There is hope that a deal could improve the British economy, which has been hit by a drop in EU trade caused by increased costs and red tape after the United Kingdom left the bloc in 2020.

Since becoming prime minister in July, Starmer has sought to reset relations with the EU, following years of tensions in the wake of the U.K.'s Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016.

Post-Brexit relations have been governed by a trade agreement negotiated by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Starmer thinks that can be improved in a way that boosts trade and bolsters security.

It’s unclear what will be announced at the summit, but Starmer said Sunday that there would be a deal, following trade agreements that the U.K. struck in recent weeks with India and the U.S.

“Tomorrow, we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union," he said. “It will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders.”

Since the Labour Party returned to power after 14 years of Conservative government, a period that was largely marked by the time leading up to the Brexit vote and its aftermath, both sides have sought to improve relations.

That's been most evident in the more coordinated response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the wake of a change of approach by Washington following the return of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Starmer, who campaigned for the U.K. to remain within the EU in the referendum and subsequently sought a second vote, has said that he wants a better deal with the 27-nation bloc that will smooth trade between the two sides and bolster security cooperation, including on defense procurement.

Though no tariffs are slapped on the export of goods between both sides, an array of non-tariff barriers, including more onerous border checks and laborious paperwork, have made trade more difficult.

Post-Brexit visa restrictions have also hobbled the cross-border activities of service professionals, such as bankers or lawyers, as well as cultural exchanges, including touring bands and school trips.

Before the summit — the first in what are planned to be annual events — Starmer said that good progress had been made in negotiations, while insisting that the U.K. won't breach his red lines. In its election manifesto last year, Labour said that it wouldn't rejoin the EU's frictionless single market and customs union, nor agree to the free movement of people between the U.K. and the EU.

Talks on strengthening ties have focused largely on security and defense, and on a youth mobility plan that would allow young Britons and Europeans to live and work temporarily in each other’s territory.

That remains a politically touchy issue in the U.K., seen by some Brexiteers as inching back towards free movement — though the U.K. already has youth mobility arrangements with countries including Australia and Canada.

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is leading negotiations, said that talks with the EU were going down “to the wire.”

The summit is expected to lead to more intense discussions on an array of issues, including aligning standards on the sale of agricultural products that could eliminate costly checks on food products exported across the English Channel, closer energy ties and a new fishing pact.

While he wouldn't provide details, Thomas-Symonds said that he was confident that trade could be improved for food imports and exports.

“We know we’ve had lorries waiting for 16 hours, fresh food in the back not able to be exported, because frankly it’s just going off, red tape, all the certifications that are required, we absolutely want to reduce that,” he told the BBC.

Disagreements reportedly remain over fishing, an economically minor but symbolically large issue for the U.K. and EU member states such as France. Disputes over the issue nearly derailed a Brexit deal back in 2020.

As in all negotiations, some of the trade-offs may prove difficult, especially for Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months.

Earlier this month, the anti-immigration and pro-Brexit Reform U.K. won big in local elections. Starmer knows that he will face likely accusations of “betraying Brexit,” whatever the outcome of the talks. The ever-unpredictable Trump, who has backed Brexit, could also be a potential headache for Starmer.

“The reset could still be blown off course by disagreements over how to consolidate existing areas of cooperation like fisheries and/or external factors, such as a negative reaction from the U.S. to the U.K. seeking closer ties with the EU,” said Jannike Wachowiak, research associate at the UK in a Changing Europe think tank.