UK politics dwell: Post-Brexit deal negotiations ‘going down to the wire’ hours earlier than summit, minister says | EUROtoday

Emily Thornberry has lashed out at Nigel Farage, claiming that give up is a “big word” for the Reform UK chief.

The chairman of the international affairs committee hit again at Mr Farage’s opposition to Labour’s deliberate youth mobility scheme with the EU, which he has mentioned quantities to an upicking of Brexit.

Speaking to LBC, Ms Thornberry mentioned: “The public… want, if their neighbours run a small business, to be able to export sausages to France and for it not to be held up.

“They want to be able to travel to Europe and not have their passport stamped and be able to go through e-gates and be able to travel more easily, and they want more money in the economy.”

Asked particularly about Farage’s “surrender” declare, Ms Thornberry mentioned: “Big word for him, isn’t it?”

She added: “There’s 13 of these youth mobility schemes already with the UK and the sky hasn’t fallen in, and I think youngsters in Britain would like to be able to travel in Europe and so it has to be reciprocal.”

Britain’s former chief Brexit negotiator has mentioned Sir Keir Starmer’s reset of relations with Brussels is a “step back towards being controlled by the European Union in important areas of our national life”.

“That’s not what people voted for in 2016,” Lord Frost informed GB News.

He mentioned Labour doesn’t need Britain “to be a completely free country”, and can see the UK settle for EU legal guidelines.

And Lord Frost denied there are issues that want fixing with the present deal underpinning Britain’s commerce with the bloc.

Lord Frost was seen as partly chargeable for Britain’s strained relations with Europe because of his hardball method as Brexit negotiator.

EU officers need decrease charges for his or her college students, in accordance with stories, which is inflicting rigidity forward of Monday’s talks.

International college students presently pay round £12,000 extra in charges on common per yr than home college students.

The variety of EU college students at UK universities has dropped by practically half since Brexit, with 75,000 EU nationals enrolled in British schools and universities within the 2023/24 tutorial yr – down from 148,000 in 2019.

Talks on a UK-EU deal are of their “final hours” forward of a serious summit with the bloc, the minister in command of negotiations has mentioned.

Sir Keir Starmer is predicted to announce a take care of the EU when he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London on Monday.

The Prime Minister mentioned the settlement can be “another step forwards” for the UK and “good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders”.

But on Sunday Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas–Symonds mentioned the ultimate particulars of the deal have been nonetheless being labored out, with talks going “to the wire”.

Monday’s summit has been anticipated to deliver an announcement on British entry to a 150 billion euro (£125 billion) EU defence fund, in what could possibly be a lift for UK defence firms.

But stories recommend there may be agreements on permitting British travellers to make use of e-gates at European airports, slicing purple tape on meals exports and imports, and organising a youth mobility scheme with the EU.

Provisions overlaying fishing and vitality are because of expire in 2026, and should be prolonged or renegotiated over the subsequent yr.

The post-Brexit commerce settlement transferred current quotas to the bloc for a transition interval.

But from 2026 they’ll want be negotiated on an annual or multi-annual foundation.

EU diplomats have mentioned {that a} fisheries deal ought to be the identical size as any settlement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, to make sure equal leverage throughout any renegotiations, whereas France is pushing for any defence deal to be contingent on a fisheries settlement.

Fishing has lengthy been a supply of rigidity. The EU has taken Britain to courtroom over its ban of fishing for sand eels in UK waters.

Britain left the EU’s inside vitality market after Brexit, however the UK’s vitality business is pushing for extra environment friendly and nearer electrical energy buying and selling preparations with the bloc.

Britain imported round 14 per cent of its electrical energy in 2024, a report excessive, by way of energy hyperlinks with Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway.

The UK-EU summit may pave the best way for a deal which may cut back the impression of the Irish Sea border.

The summit on Monday is predicted to incorporate an “agreement to agree” on commerce points. This will embrace commerce in meals and agricultural merchandise.

The Labour authorities made a manifesto dedication to hunt a brand new agri-food settlement with the EU.

In 2022 Sir Keir Starmer mentioned the celebration would get rid of “most border checks created by the Tory Brexit deal”, and implement a “new veterinary agreement for Agri-products between the UK and EU”.

If a full meals and agricultural deal does observe later this yr, it’s going to cut back the necessity for checks and controls on merchandise being despatched from GB to Northern Ireland.

It may imply the tip of utilizing ‘Not for EU’ labelling.

Gordon Brown’s former financial adviser Lord Jim O’Neill summed up the significance of Sir Keir’s summit in London: “Obviously, the closer and more serious we can get, the better it is for reversing our net trade losses, and importantly, net investment from EU areas.

“Given the shock from Trump [tariffs] to Europe, especially on Germany, on top of the Ukraine shock and China slowdown, I think Germany [will be] more open to pro-UK trade issues than before.

“Also, I suspect the EU is going to give more than lip service to cross-border services sector reform now. Given UK net advantages in service sector exports, this is important to us.”

A international journalist mentioned information wires from Spain, Italy and Germany have been denied entry to the EU-UK summit on Monday.

With the prime minister set to unveil his post-Brexit reset plans alongside Brussels leaders, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has mentioned “almost every European news outlet” with a international correspondent in London has been denied entry to the summit.

In a letter despatched to Downing Street the FPA, which represents international journalists primarily based within the UK, mentioned: “Sir Keir Starmer, you state that you want a reset with the EU. You organise a summit between the UK and the EU to restart the relationship.

“Yet you deny accreditation to almost every European news outlet who has a foreign correspondent in London, leaving out the biggest news agencies, the most important papers, the most trusted broadcasters.”

Read extra by our political correspondent Archie Mitchell: