European Council President Antonio Costa, from left, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen with members of the Royal Navy on board Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland in central London, following the UK-EU Summit, on May 19.Stefan Rousseau/The Associated Press
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing criticism that he has betrayed Brexit by unveiling a sweeping agreement with the European Union that pulls the U.K. closer to the bloc since it left five years ago.
On Monday Mr. Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a “common understanding” that covers trade in agriculture, steel, fish products, as well as greater co-operation on defence, energy and security. The two leaders also agreed to conclude a youth mobility visa, and they announced that British travellers will soon be able to use electronic gates at airports when crossing into EU member states.
Mr. Starmer and Ms. von der Leyen during a joint news conference emphasized that they are resetting relations between the EU and Britain, which were badly damaged when Britons voted to leave the EU in 2016.
That vote set off years of often bitter negotiations, which culminated in a trade deal in 2020, the year Britain formally severed ties with the EU. The British government has estimated that exports to the EU have dropped 21 per cent since Brexit and imports have fallen by 7 per cent.
“It’s time to move on from the stale old debates and political fight to focus on delivering common sense, practical solutions, which get the best for the British people,” Mr. Starmer said during a news conference in London on Monday.
“We’re turning a page,” Ms. von der Leyen said. “We’re opening a new chapter in our unique relationship.”
Britain and the European Union on Monday sealed new agreements on defence cooperation and easing trade flows at their first formal summit since Brexit.
The Associated Press
Mr. Starmer stressed that the agreement will make it easier for food products, live animals and plants to move between Britain and the EU. The deal will also ease restrictions on the movement of products between Britain and Northern Ireland, which has remained largely within the EU regulatory framework in order to keep an open border with Ireland, an EU member state.
The deals “mean lower food prices at the check out, more choice in our supermarkets, and, of course, more money in people’s pockets,” Mr. Starmer said, adding that the measures will add £9-billion, or $16.7-billion, to the British economy.
The two sides will also harmonize cross-border flows of electricity and gas. Britain will be spared from any increase in steel tariffs the EU imposes to counter new U.S. duties. And both leaders pledged to work on a defence partnership that will allow British companies to bid on new military contracts across the EU.
But Mr. Starmer came under criticism for agreeing to adhere to any changes in EU regulations concerning food products and energy supplies. He also faced charges of selling out the fishing industry by extending a U.K.-EU fishing deal for 12 years. That agreement gives EU fishing boats access to British waters and provides quotas for the sale of fish products in the EU and Britain.
“This deal is a horror show for Scottish fishermen,” said Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation. “This highlights the total indifference of the British political establishment to the interests of our fishing sector.”
Brexit backers argued that Mr. Starmer has ceded authority to Brussels by making Britain a “rule taker” on future regulations. They also noted that in order to participate in the EU’s €150-billion defence spending program, called Security Action for Europe, the British government may have to contribute to the EU budget.
“This is a sell out,” said Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch, who was part of the Tory government that negotiated the post-Brexit trade deal in 2020. “We spent 10 years on this, and he has taken us back to square one.”
Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who co-led the campaign to take Britain out of the EU, said the agreement was “hopelessly one sided” and he described Mr. Starmer as an “orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels.”
“Under this appalling sell out of a deal the U.K. will have to accept EU law on a host of measures from food standards to emissions trading. We will have to accept whatever changes the EU decides to make to those laws,” Mr. Johnson wrote on X.
Mr. Starmer said the agreement offered benefits “based on our three principles, which is driving down bills, driving up jobs and absolutely having control of our borders.” He also promised to spend £360-million on new equipment for coastal communities and vowed the government would not rejoin the EU’s single market or return to the days of freedom of movement of people between the EU and Britain.
Several business groups also welcomed the agreement, saying it offered badly needed clarity on trade.
The deal “marks a leap forward in the EU-U.K. relationship,” said Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry. “Firms on both sides of the border will be breathing a sigh of relief following practical commitments to improve regulatory co-operation, bolster defence and deliver on our mutual net-zero ambitions.”