The UK is about to strike a ‘reset’ deal with the EU, which could bring a boost to travel, defence and food trade.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce a deal with the EU when he meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London tomorrow.
The talks, labelled as a reset after the Brexit saga, are expected to grant Britain access to the £125,000,000,000 defence fund and make travel quicker.
Full details of the deal are yet to be revealed, but the PM said the agreement would be ‘good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders.’
Here is a roundup of the main issues being discussed and how they could affect your life.
Travel benefits – EU boarding gates
Sir Keir is expected to push for an agreement that brings concrete benefits to Britons in a bid to woo voters away from parties like Reform.
And making travel to EU countries smoother and quicker for UK travellers could be one way to do this.
There could be an agreement to allow British passport holders to use the e-gates at European airports, reports suggest.
This means UK tourists would no longer have to wait in the non-EU passport queue.
Defence funding
The deal is likely to include a new defence and security partnership under the £125,000,000,000 defence fund (€150 billion).
It could give a boost to UK defence companies, who could access research cooperation, joint procurement and funding opportunities.
This, in turn, could help create jobs in the defence industry, which currently employs around 164,000 people in the UK.
Trade and food
Reports suggest the talks could result in red tape being cut on food exports and imports between EU countries and the UK.
Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said he is ‘confident’ that a deal on food could be reached.
He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: ‘We know we’ve had lorries waiting for 16 hours, fresh food in the back not able to be exported because frankly it’s just going off, red tape, all the certifications that are required, we absolutely want to reduce that.’
Supermarkets and retailers like Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Asda previously said red tape checks have added £2,000,000,000 of costs.
Easier transport of food could benefit shoppers with a larger supply and lower prices.
Youth mobility scheme
The movement of people continues to be one of the main sticking points since the UK’s divorce from the EU in 2020.
The deal could include a youth mobility scheme, which could see thousands of young people from the UK move abroad to an EU country and vica versa.
However, the scheme is not a return to the pre-Brexit freedom of movement, the government has insisted.
Thomas-Symonds said the youth mobility scheme would be ‘smart and controlled’ after accusations that the scheme would allow free movement ‘by the back door.’
Conservatives said the scheme must not be ‘uncapped,’ while the Liberal Democrats said they will back a capped youth mobility scheme.
The Lib Dems suggested the youth mobility scheme could boost Britain’s GDP enough to fund the reversal of the winter fuel payment cut.
Policing and safety
The UK police and legal experts have said that Brexit changes have allowed some fugitives and wanted criminals to avoid capture and identification if they escape to an EU country.
After Brexit, the UK lost its access to a wide range of EU crime-fighting tools like the European Arrest Warrant, the Schengen Information System and its membership in Europol.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in 2021, when he was asked about the impact of Brexit on the Met Police, that the loss of these systems is ‘making it harder to keep track of terrorists, criminals and serious organised criminal networks.’
Thomas-Symonds suggested a new agreement on policing as part of the deal.
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