By JAMIE BULLEN and JAMES TAPSFIELD and DAVID WILCOCK and GREG HEFFER
Published: | Updated:
Keir Starmer is expected to announce a new deal between the UK and the European Union as leaders meet for a summit in London today.
The Prime Minister is set to sign an agreement intended to ‘reset’ relations following Brexit covering various topics including defence, trade, fishing, and a possible youth mobility scheme.
According to sources, there where ‘stumbling blocks’ late last night concerning fishing rights before an apparent breakthrough in talks ahead of what has been dubbed Starmer’s ‘Surrender Summit’.
Live updates below
The six key sticking points in the deal between the UK and the EU
As we wait on a final agreement between the EU and the UK, let’s take a look at what’s at stake in the deal and the sticking points between both sides:
Free movement for young Europeans
The EU wants a youth-mobility scheme to give those aged 18 to 35 or so from across the bloc the right to live, work and study in Britain for three years.
For months the UK denied this was a possibility. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is known to have opposed it because of the impact it would have on politically toxic immigration figures.
But ministers belatedly admitted it was indeed on the table. They have insisted it does not constitute a return to ‘free movement’ and pointed out that the UK already has similar arrangements with other countries.
Cheaper fees for foreign students
As a result of Brexit, undergraduates from EU countries studying at English universities are now charged uncapped international rates rather than the £9,250 tuition fees paid by domestic students. Senior figures in Brussels are said to have called for EU students to pay the lower fees once more.
However, this would be a blow to university vice-chancellors, who have already seen crucial income from foreign students slashed because of last year’s visa restrictions.
Following EU rules… and judges
One of Labour’s main demands in the talks has been to cut red tape for firms exporting food and animal products to the continent. Known as a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement, it should end most of the border checks that have held lorries up for as long as 16 hours on their way to the continent. Ministers hope this may lead to lower prices for shoppers. But it will also mean Britain must once more sign up to EU rules and update them as they change – so-called dynamic alignment – which ended with Brexit. Any disputes would again have to be resolved by the European Court of Justice.
French boats catching our fish
Britain’s fishermen had hoped Brexit would mean they could reclaim UK waters, but under the original deal struck by the Conservatives, EU boats were granted continued access.
This is due to end in 2026 and the EU has been arguing it should become permanent, with France even suggesting a ‘hard link’ between fishing rights and the UK’s access to defence contracts. The Tories say ministers must not agree to a lengthy deal that only benefits France.
British troops on Brussels missions
Military co-operation was not a feature of the Brexit deal, but Labour wants a defence and security pact in its reset with Brussels. Ministers are keen for UK arms firms to gain access to the £126million Security Action for Europe fund, set up by Brussels to help EU nations spend more on weapons. A diplomatic source told The Mail on Sunday Britain could have to pay ‘hundreds of millions’ for access.
Some fear the Defence and Security Partnership could mean British servicemen taking part in EU civilian and military operations.
Passport queues at EU airports
Since Brexit, UK holidaymakers and business travellers have faced long waits at airport passport barriers because they could no longer queue with EU citizens. For frequent fliers it has been one of the most visible consequences of Brexit.
Ministers want Brussels to let UK citizens use ‘e-gates’ reserved for EU passport holders, which would mean quicker transit times and a tangible sign of improved relations with the EU.
How EU almost wrecked deal with last-gasp demand over fishing rights
The European Union last night increased its demands over fishing rights last night, delaying the expected agreement of a deal with Britain.
Led by France, the EU had called for a roll-over of the current five-year deal that grants its trawlermen access to UK coastal waters.
But at the last minute the negotiators said the arrangement should last far longer in return for lifting existing post-Brexit checks on lorry loads of food and animal products being exported from Britain to the continent.
One source told the Mail that the EU had suddenly asked for permanent access to British fish as a quid pro quo for Sir Keir Starmer being granted a so-called Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement that would see red tape for exporters lifted indefinitely.
Another insider said Brussels had put an offer of ‘a decade of fish’ on the table – access to UK waters for ten years – in return for scrapping the lorry checks.
The late intervention is believed to have threatened a delay in the agreement being signed today before it was reported this morning there had been an apparent breakthrough between the two sides.
Keir Starmer was last night warned he would betray Brexit if he agreed a deal that put the UK back under the control of the EU.
The Prime Minister is today set to sign an agreement at what has been dubbed his ‘Surrender Summit’ that will mean Britain must once more follow EU laws and abide by its judges’ rulings.
He is also poised to hand millions of young Europeans the right to live, study and work here for up to three years, risking his pledge to cut migration.
And the PM – who backed Remain then campaigned for a second referendum to undo the Leave vote – is expected to ‘sell out’ Britain’s fishermen by allowing French boats continued access to UK coastal waters.
Starmer to sign UK-EU ‘reset’ at London summit
Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage as Keir Starmer hosts EU leaders in London ahead of an expected agreement between the UK and European Union
The Prime Minister is set to sign an agreement at what has been dubbed his ‘Surrender Summit’ meaning Britain must once more follow EU laws and abide by its judges’ rulings.
The deal is intended to be a ‘reset’ in relations between the UK and EU after Brexit covering topics including defence, trade, fishing, and a possible youth mobility scheme
Talks were going down to the wire last night after the EU made surprise 11th-hour demands for the fishing rights to last a decade or more.
Stick with us for the latest updates throughout the day plus analysis and reaction with reporting from our political journalists in Westminster and Jamie Bullen in London.
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UK-EU summit live updates: Starmer expected to sign ‘surrender’ agreement after fishing row nearly wrecks deal at 11th hour