The UK and EU will begin formal negotiations next week on historic deals covering food standards and carbon trading. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made the talks a priority in his effort to "reset" relations with Brussels, but the move has triggered fierce warnings from Brexiteers about potential costs running into billions of pounds.
The Labour government claims the agreements could add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy. A deal on sanitary and phytosanitary standards could boost agricultural exports to the EU by 16 percent, generating up to £5.1 billion annually. A parallel agreement exempting British businesses from the EU's carbon border tax could deliver another £3.8 billion per year.
Britain's minister for European Union relations Nick Thomas-Symonds welcomed the progress. «We can now start formal talks on deals that will help keep food costs down and slash red tape,» he said. «These agreements will add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy, supporting British jobs and putting more money in people's pockets.»
Brexiteer Backlash
Conservative and Reform UK critics have attacked the approach as a betrayal of Brexit. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice warned: «The whole point of Brexit was to embrace competition, strike our own trade deals, and make decisions based solely on what is best for Britain. Further aligning with the EU only ties us to foreign interests and undermines our independence.»
Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Andrew Griffith said Brussels red tape was the «last thing the UK economy needs». He accused Starmer of hating Brexit and warned the deals could cost «billions more in taxpayers' money». Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel claimed Labour was «plotting to whack up taxes» to «bankroll the EU».
The financial dimension has emerged as a key flashpoint. The EU is demanding up to £6 billion for UK access to the Security Access for Europe Fund, which would allow British defence companies to bid for EU military contracts. While France's initial demand for contributions to the EU's regional cohesion fund has reportedly been dropped for now, it may resurface in future negotiations. Trade expert Shanker Singham warned it would be «folly for the UK to prioritise the relatively small gains from eliminating trade friction over the much larger gains of improving one's own regulatory framework».
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
