Britain’s declared a “new chapter” in its relationship with the European Union (EU), which in turn hailed the UK’s new “positive energy” towards the bloc, after the two sides struck a landmark deal over issues including trade, defence, travel and food exports.
The agreement to effectively renegotiate Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU was finalised on Monday at a summit at Lancaster House in London between delegations led by UK prime minister Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
“Britain is back on the world stage,” said Mr Starmer at a press conference afterwards in the Long Gallery, a sumptuous reception room in Lancaster House, where he spoke alongside Ms von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.
The UK prime minister claimed parts of the deal would add £9 billion (€10.7 billion) annually to the British economy by 2040.
He faced criticism from Brexiteers and the Tories, however, over British acceptance of an elements of rules alignment with Brussels and some oversight by European institutions. In a boost to Mr Starmer, however, British supermarkets welcomed the deal for its impact on trade in good goods.
Highlights of the agreement included a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal to ease trade rules on agricultural product exports between the EU and UK, which will benefit many Irish food exporters. It will also remove many post-Brexit restrictions on the movement of food between Britain and the North, which retains its dual market access.
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In a big concession from the UK side, Britain also signed up to a 12-year deal to extend access for EU and Irish boats to fish in UK waters, replacing an existing deal that had been due to run out next year. Ireland and, in particular, France had been among the EU nations pushing hardest for a fisheries deal.
The British defence industry will also get access to the EU’s €150 billion military rearmament fund, devised by the bloc to help counter the threat from Russia. Britain will, however, make financial contributions to the EU to pay for access, as part of a wider security and defence pact.
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“It’s time to look forward [and] to move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people,” said Mr Starmer.
The deal includes sweeteners designed to appeal to Brexit-weary UK public and insulate the UK Labour government from some of its domestic political critics.
The European Commission will not ask European governments to stop British travellers from using new passport eGates, which should reduce summer queues for UK holidaymakers in sunspots such as Spain. There will also be “pet passports” for cats and dogs, ending the need for animal health certificates for each trip.
Both sides are moving towards a youth mobility scheme to allow European young people up to the age of the 30 the right to work and study in the UK, and vice versa. The details are still to be worked out but there will be a cap on numbers and the deal will be time limited.
The deal showed the UK and the EU had “entered a new chapter” in their post-Brexit relationship, one EU official said.
“The negotiation process in the run-up to this summit went until the last minute. But negotiations took place always in good faith on both sides, and the result is very positive for both,” the official said
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