London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK and EU strike late deal on fishing access, boosting chances for wider reset on food trade, youth mobility, and security talks at today’s London summit.
As reported by the Guardian, UK-EU relations saw an overnight breakthrough on fishing rights, just ahead of a major summit in London to rebuild strained ties.
Keir Starmer prepares to welcome European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to London on Monday morning following late-night negotiations. Key obstacles remain over the timeline for EU fishing access to UK waters and food safety checks.
Fishing deal extended in UK-EU talks
A UK insider confirmed Monday morning a “last-minute breakthrough,” though key points still require finalizing, with an update expected later today.
Fishing was the main focus of last-minute negotiations. Sources reveal that the UK and EU settled on a 10-year agreement for EU vessels to operate in British waters, surpassing the initial four-year plan.
Brussels demands dropping food safety checks alongside fishing talks. This includes sanitary and phytosanitary goods to reduce bureaucracy. The EU proposed matching the food inspection timeline to the fishing deal.
Talks have not only focused on fishing and food trade simplifications but also on potential defence fund opportunities for British businesses within the EU. Other key areas included a proposed youth mobility deal and faster EU entry for British travellers through e-passport lanes.
What did Jonathan Reynolds say about the status of the UK-EU deal?
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, declined to say if an deal was reached but spoke of a “real prize” for Britain.
He said,
“The current deal has huge gaps in it, not just on areas to do with trade, but to do with security as well. So this is about making people better off, about making the country more secure, about making sure there are more jobs in the UK.”
Mr Reynolds added,
“There’s a deal to be done here, we’ve always said that.
“There are real benefits to the UK which are on offer on sorting this out, because there are massive gaps that we have with the EU at the moment.”
What did Mike Cohen say about the UK-EU fishing deal?
Mike Cohen, leading the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, warned of conditional industry support. He said the main issue is what the UK secured in return for a long-term fishing deal.
He said,
“If a deal has been done for a longer term, for me the question is: what have we achieved in return for that? If we’ve gained some benefit for the fishing industry, and for fishing communities, then that could be a deal worth doing. It’s all going to be about the details.”
Mr Cohen added,
“If we’ve got nothing in return for that, for the fishermen and their businesses, the communities that depend on them, then that would have been a very poor deal from our point of view.”
What did Richard Tice say about the UK-EU deal?
The deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice said,
“There’s a deal being done to surrender some of the opportunities from Brexit. It’s quite clear that a scheme dressed up as youth mobility will actually be a return to freedom of movement in all but name.”
He added,
“That’s not what the British people want, and they confirmed that when they voted significantly for Reform just a few weeks ago. It’ll be a surrender of our ability to make our own rules, instead, we’re going to go back to basically being a rule-taker from the EU.”
How is Downing Street framing the latest UK-EU talks?
Number 10 maintains the London summit is just one step in a broader process, allowing continued dialogue on outstanding issues. However, the overnight talks echoed the disorder seen during the original Brexit talks.
What did Kemi Badenoch say about the 12-year fishing deal and youth mobility fears?
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stated that the details are “very concerning.”
She said,
“12 years of access to British waters is three times longer than the government wanted. We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again. And with no details on any cap or time limits on youth mobility, fears of free movement returning will only increase.”