Sir Keir Starmer ignited a major new Brexit row today as he signed a new deal with the EU that brings Britain back towards the bloc.
The Prime Minister was accused of ‘surrender’ by hardliners after it emerged the terms include allowing EU fishing boats, mainly from France and the Netherlands, to trawl UK waters for a further 12 years.
The current deal agreed by Boris Johnson expires in 2026 but under the terms of the deal approved today they will now be allowed in to take fish until 2038.
However, in exchange British firms will enjoy better access to EU markets than they have had since the UK left in 2019.
The agreement will cut checks at the UK/EU borders for lorries carrying food and drink, which ministers hope will boost trade and cut prices in UK supermarkets for under-pressure families.
At the same time, British firms will be able to access a 150billion euro (£125billion) EU defence fund set up to allow the continent to rearm in the face of Russian threats.
And for British tourists visiting holiday hotspots such as Spain, France and Italy, the EU is to relax its rules on British travellers using e-gates, allowing faster progress through passport control for them and their pets.
A late-night deal was struck with the European Union ahead of today’s major summit with Brussels chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa
European boats fishing in UK waters until 2038
European fishing vessels will be given a further 12 years of access to British waters as part of Sir Keir’s ‘reset’ with Brussels.
A late-night deal was struck with the European Union ahead of today’s major summit with Brussels chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
There will be no change to current access to fish for coastal communities and no reduction in the British quota or increase in the quota the EU is allowed to catch, it is understood.
European fishing vessels will be given a further 12 years of access to British waters as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘reset’ with Brussels
There will be no change to current access to fish for coastal communities and no reduction in the British quota or increase in the quota the EU is allowed to catch, it is understood
But the deal means European vessels will enjoy the same post-Brexit access they have had until 2038, 12 years after the current arrangement expires.
The scale of the deal blindsided UK fishing organisations.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation insisted that the new deal ‘is a horror show for Scottish fishermen’.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government criticised UK ministers for the inclusion of fisheries – an area where responsibility is devolved to Holyrood – in the agreement without its approval on this.
Sir Keir insisted afterwards that the deal is ‘good for fishing’.
But First Minister John Swinney said that the ‘fishing industry looks as if it’s been surrendered by the United Kingdom Government as part of its negotiations’.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the fishing agreement, saying: ‘Twelve years access to British waters is three times longer than the Government wanted.
‘We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again.’
And Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said it would be ‘the end of the fishing industry’.
Security and Defence Partnership allowing UK firms to bid for £125billion EU military contracts
Britain and the EU have today agreed a new security and defence partnership that will open up a major EU rearmament investment scheme to UK firms.
The Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative has been set up by Brussels following Donald Trump‘s threats to scrap American security guarantees for the continent.
The multi-billion fund will allow EU member states to take out loans for weapons from funds raised against the EU budget.
But there are strict rules on where arms can be purchased from, with initial fears that British defence firms would be excluded from the fund.
France was leading efforts to keep UK firms such as Babcock out, or at least limit the extent to which British firms could bid, as it seeks to protect its own companies
A diplomatic source yesterday told The Mail on Sunday Britain could have to pay ‘hundreds of millions’ for access
France was leading efforts to keep the UK out, or at least limit the extent to which its firms could bid, as it seeks to protect its own companies.
Some fear the Defence and Security Partnership could mean British servicemen taking part in EU civilian and military operations.
And a diplomatic source yesterday told The Mail on Sunday that Britain could have to pay ‘hundreds of millions’ for access.
Quicker travel on holiday for you and your pets
British holidaymakers will be able to use more eGates in the EU and pets will be able to travel more easily under the Brexit reset deal.
At the moment, EU citizens can use e-Gates in the UK – but British passport holders cannot use European e-Gates, aside from a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal.
At the moment, EU citizens can use e-Gates in the UK – but British passport holders cannot use European e-Gates
The changes will come into effect after the introduction of the ‘European Union Entry/Exit System’ which aims to make border checks in the Schengen area more secure.
The new system is expected to start in October 2025, but it is not clear how long after this that Britons will be able to start using e-Gates.
The change also has to be ratified by individual members states who have responsibility for their own borders, so some may open up faster than others.
Sir Keir said he wanted UK holidaymakers to be able to use e-gates in EU countries ‘as soon as possible’.
‘I want it done as soon as possible and that’s why I urge EU member states now to do it, and we will be pressing hard on that … there’s no inhibition on this, so I want to see it done quickly.’
Any ‘commission-based reason’ not to has been ‘knocked away by this agreement’, he said.
‘For holidaymakers wanting to get out this summer they will want to know that they can do so easily and without delay and chaos.’
The agreement will also enable pets to travel more easily, with the introduction of ‘pet passports’ for UK cats and dogs – eliminating the need for animal health certificates for every trip.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said the announcement was ‘a significant breakthrough for British travellers’.
Deal leaves open the door to free movement for young adults
The leaked text of the deal states it is ‘in the mutual interest’ to ‘deepen our people-to-people ties, particularly for the younger generation’.
It proposes a ‘youth experience scheme’ so that young people can move between the EU and UK for ‘such as work, studies, au-pairing, volunteering, or simply travelling’.
There will be a ‘dedicated visa path’ and participants would only be allowed to live overseas ‘for a limited period of time’, while the numbers involved would have to be ‘acceptable to both sides’.
But there is no more detail, with ‘terms to be agreed’ between the two sides at a later date.
There is no mention of an exact limit on numbers arriving but Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds assured LBC this morning: ‘There is a cap on all of these schemes.’
He pointed out that only 24,000 visas were issued by the UK last year across the 13 existing exchange schemes with countries around the world including Australia.
UK to follow EU farming rules ‘to make food cheaper’
Britain has agreed to follow EU food and farming rules for ever in return for cuts in red tape, which ministers say will cut prices in supermarkets.
The new deal will tear up most of the EU food and farming checks imposed after Brexit, ending the so-called ‘sausage wars’ which made it hard for British food producers to export to the continent.
British checks on EU food will also be reduced in a move which No 10 said would ‘make food cheaper’.
The new deal will tear up most of the EU food and farming checks imposed after Brexit, ending the so-called ‘sausage wars’ which made it hard for British food producers to export to the continent
In return, the UK will have to follow almost all EU rules on food and farming standards. Controversially, this will include adopting new EU laws in the sector in future. This so-called ‘dynamic alignment’ will make the UK a ‘rule taker’, undermining one of the key principles of Brexit that the UK should set its own laws.
Britain will also have to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in settling any disputes.
And the UK has agreed to make an ‘appropriate financial contribution’ to the EU to help cover the cost of relevant Brussels agencies. Officials today declined to put a figure on how much that might be, but denied it would be paid into the EU budget.
The move was welcomed by food producers who have faced a blizzard of red tape since Brexit. It will also ease the rules on sending food produce from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Downing Street said the deal, coupled with an agreement on carbon emissions, could eventually be worth £9billion to the economy.
Tina McKenzie, policy chairwoman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: ‘This agreement marks genuine progress by untangling the rules for small exporters of plant and animal products.
‘If British goods can reach European markets with fewer setbacks, that marks real progress.
‘For too long, small businesses have shouldered the burden of unpredictable custom rules and red tape that sap confidence and ambition.
‘Today’s agreement brings us a step closer to reducing the burdens for SMEs by clearing the bottleneck at the border, trading fresh produce and more efficient supply chains.
‘We also welcome conversations on business mobility and the mutual recognition of qualifications across borders, and hope that small firms are given a seat at the table as plans take shape.
‘Of course, this deal does not solve every challenge overnight, but it sets a very welcome new tone.’
