Government to seek global trade deals for UK at expense of formal EU re-entry
GuardianAUG 20 2024
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled to Brussels on Wednesday to hold meetings with European Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen, European Council Pres. Charles Michel, and European Parliament Pres. Roberta Metsola.
The Prime Minister's office has stated in a press release that the trip was to "move beyond Brexit" and agree to a "broad based security pact" including trade and border protection. The statement also claimed the UK will not return to the single market, the customs union, or return to freedom of movement.A press release from von der Leyen and Starmer claimed the two agreed to an "agenda of strengthened cooperation at pace," whilst also announcing the intention to host "regular" EU-UK Summits "ideally" beginning in early 2025.
It has been reported von der Leyen is in return seeking an agreement with the UK on a youth mobility scheme for under 30s, a policy that has previously been rejected by Starmer.It has also been reported that the European Commission President sought to begin talks on extending European access to British waters for fishing post-2026, and a UK-EU migration deal allowing the UK to reject small boat migrants in return for agreeing an annual quota of accepted asylum seekers via a legal route.
The UK's desire for a reset in relations with the EU will be easier said than done. Starmer and his government may well seek concessions from their poorly-negotiated withdrawal agreement, but they are unlikely to see any progress until the UK fully honors several provisions that continue to be unlawfully ignored to the detriment of EU citizens.