Starmer, EU leaders sign new UK-EU deals to boost trade, defense ties, and youth mobility, marking a post-Brexit reset.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting the leadership of the European Union (EU) at a summit in London on Monday and has signed agreements aimed at deepening defense and trade ties.

According to Starmer’s office, the agreements are designed to cut red tape and help grow the British economy.

“This is the first UK-EU summit,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “It marks a new era in our relationship, and this deal is a win-win.”

One of the agreements, focused on fisheries, grants EU fishermen access to British waters for an extended period of 12 years. In exchange, the EU has agreed to indefinitely ease restrictions on food and drink imports and exports.

The reduction in customs checks on food and plant products is projected to contribute nearly 9 billion pounds ($12 billion or €10.7 billion) to the British economy by 2040, according to a statement from Starmer’s office.

Downing Street also announced a new defense and security pact with the EU, which will enable the UK defense industry to participate in a €150 billion ($167 billion) defense fund being established by the EU.

Additionally, the agreements include a youth experience scheme and expanded access for British passport holders to automated border controls within the EU.

Since taking office in July 2024, Starmer has advocated for what he describes as a “reset” in the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Monday’s summit brings together European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas. It is the first event of its kind, which Starmer hopes will become an annual summit focused on progressing cross-channel cooperation.

“It’s time to look forward,” Starmer said as the summit began. “To move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions, which get the best for the British people.”

Von der Leyen described the newly signed agreements as a “success” and “an historic moment.”

Since the UK formally left the EU in 2020, following the Brexit referendum in 2016, the relationship has been governed primarily by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), negotiated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and signed in December 2020.

Although Starmer had opposed Brexit as a member of the centre-left Labour Party, he has maintained that ties with the EU can be improved to enhance the UK’s economy and security. The TCA is due for review in 2026, and agreements such as the one on fisheries are set to expire unless renewed.

Since Brexit, shared challenges facing both the UK and EU include Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and an increasingly isolationist U.S. policy under President Donald Trump.

Fishing rights and youth mobility proved to be particularly sensitive topics during negotiations, with some details still unresolved beyond Monday’s summit.

According to EU officials speaking anonymously to news agencies, EU member states have given their approval to a “common understanding” with the UK on trade, fishing, and youth mobility.

Fishing rights have been a persistent source of tension in UK-EU talks, with negotiations reportedly extending late into Sunday night to reach an agreement ahead of the summit.

Conservative critics have condemned the deal allowing continued access for EU fishing boats in British waters, describing it as a “surrender” that could negatively impact local fishing industries.

Regarding the youth mobility agreement, Reuters reported that the language remains open-ended to allow further negotiation. A draft document seen by the news agency stated that the UK and EU “should work towards a balanced youth experience scheme on terms to be mutually agreed.”

Some UK detractors have expressed concern that the youth mobility agreement could lead to a return of freedom of movement between the EU and the UK.

Starmer’s efforts to move toward greater integration with the EU have drawn criticism from both conservative and far-right voices.

In its election manifesto last year, the Labour Party pledged not to rejoin the EU’s single market or customs union, nor to reinstate the free movement of people and goods.

In August 2024, Starmer reiterated that revising agreements with the EU “does not mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market or the customs union.”