British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a summit with the European Union (EU) leadership in London, resulting in agreements aimed at deepening defense and trade ties. These agreements seek to reduce red tape and stimulate the British economy. A key agreement allows EU fishermen access to British waters for 12 more years in exchange for the EU easing customs checks on food and drink imports and exports indefinitely. These eased customs checks are projected to add "nearly £9 billion" ($12 billion) to the British economy by 2040.

A new defense and security pact with the EU will enable the UK defense industry to participate in a €150 billion ($167 billion) EU defense fund. Starmer views these agreements as a foundation for future cooperation, marking a "reset" of ties with the EU since he took office in July 2024.

The summit included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas. Starmer envisions annual summits to foster cross-channel integration. He emphasized moving past old debates to find practical solutions benefiting the British people.

Since the UK's formal departure from the EU in 2020, relations have been governed by a "Trade and Cooperation Agreement" (TCA) negotiated by former PM Boris Johnson in December 2020. Starmer, who opposed Brexit, believes ties can be improved to boost the UK economy and security. The TCA is up for review in 2026, with deals on fisheries also set to expire.

Common challenges facing the UK and EU include the war in Ukraine and US trade policies. Fishing rights and youth mobility have been sticking points in negotiations. EU officials indicated a "common understanding" with the UK on trade, fishing, and youth mobility. Conservative opponents have criticized allowing EU boats in British waters as a "surrender." On youth mobility, negotiations aim for a balanced scheme, with concerns in the UK about a return to freedom of movement between the EU and UK.

Starmer's approach has faced criticism from conservatives and the far-right. Labour's election manifesto promised not to rejoin the EU's single market and customs union, nor to allow free movement of people and goods. Starmer has stated that these revamped agreements do not mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market or customs union.

The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to a deal aimed at “resetting” their post-Brexit relationship, easing restrictions on travel and work. The pact, agreed at a summit in London, included agreements on defense, migration, work and travel. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as they unveiled the deal. “We’re turning a page. We’re opening a new chapter in our unique relationship.” “Britain is back on the world stage,” Starmer added.

The deal also eases trade between the two markets, reducing the “red tape” burdening British businesses exporting food and drink to the bloc indefinitely. This includes removing some routine checks on animal and plant products, and Starmer's office hopes the changes will “lower food prices and increase choice on supermarket shelves” but remain outside of the EU’s single market and customs union. The trade partners have decided to move toward “a common sanitary and phytosanitary area,” von der Leyen told reporters.

The deal also included commitments to give the EU fishing boats access to British waters for a further 12 years beyond the current agreement. Europe will also open up its electricity market to the UK. The agreement comes as US President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs have wreaked havoc on the global trading order. The two sides have worked increasingly closely on defense since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and that unity has only grown since the Trump administration threatened to pull its security guarantees for Europe. The UK will gain access to a Europe-wide defense program, allowing British companies to bid for security contracts alongside European rivals. Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have emerged as the leading voices advocating for Kyiv on the global stage.

The two sides will work toward a youth mobility scheme that will allow under-30s to travel and work between the UK and Europe. British students are also set to once again have access to Europe’s Erasmus scheme, which allows them to study abroad in other European countries. Britons will now be able to use e-gates at European airports when they travel on vacation, joining EU passport-holders in the streamlined queues.

Britons increasingly regret the decision to leave the EU, and prize an agreement with the bloc over a similar deal with the US, opinion polling suggests. But the country remains weary of the heated, years-long arguments that engulfed Westminster after the 2016 Brexit vote. The prime minister, whose government is unpopular as it approaches one year in office, is also wary of the threat from the right. The populist Reform UK party is leading opinion polls, and its leader Nigel Farage — the chief architect of the Brexit movement — has already sought to frame Monday’s deal as a surrender to Brussels. A decision to extend the EU’s favorable access to British fishing waters until 2038 provides Farage and other critics ample bait. “We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again,” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch complained. But Starmer will be desperate to set another narrative: that Monday’s deal finally closes a contentious chapter in British politics.