LONDON, May 21 – The United Kingdom and the European Union unveiled a sweeping new agreement on Monday aimed at resetting ties nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the bloc, with leaders hailing a “new era” in cooperation on trade, defence, and mobility.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal following the first formal U.K.-E.U. summit since Brexit. The agreement includes long-term arrangements on fishing rights, carbon market integration, and renewed commitments to policy coordination in foreign affairs and security.
“This marks a new era in our relationship, and this deal is a win-win,” Starmer said at a joint press conference with von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “We’re turning a page.”
The deal will allow the EU access to U.K. fishing waters for 12 years—ending contentious annual negotiations—in exchange for improved U.K. access to EU markets for plant and animal products. The U.K. has agreed to align with evolving EU sanitary and phytosanitary rules to maintain that access.
In a key step toward climate cooperation, both sides will link their carbon markets, potentially shielding industries like steel and cement from future border tariffs.
Despite the upbeat tone, the agreement drew swift criticism from Starmer’s political opponents. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called the fishing agreement a “sellout,” while former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the deal as “hopelessly one-sided.”
Starmer defended the terms, saying they respected Labour’s “red lines” of rejecting freedom of movement and avoiding re-entry into the EU’s single market or customs union. He framed the agreement as part of a broader foreign policy reset, citing recent trade deals with India and a new framework with the United States.
“We are building the relationships we choose, with the partners we choose, and closing deals in the national interest,” Starmer said.
The agreement also lays the groundwork for biannual foreign and security policy dialogues, and early participation by the U.K. in the EU’s €150 billion defence procurement loan facility. Talks are set to continue on student exchanges and a youth mobility scheme, which Starmer said would be capped and time-limited.
Both parties agreed to deepen cooperation on issues such as people-smuggling, irregular migration, and visa abuse, with commitments to share best practices and improve enforcement.
The deal represents the most significant improvement in U.K.-EU ties since the 2016 Brexit referendum and signals a possible shift toward closer alignment in several sectors, even as both sides stop short of full economic integration.
