Breakthrough in talks on Brexit ‘reset’ deal but 'still steps to take' as Starmer hosts EU summit in London

19 May 2025, 06:55 | Updated: 19 May 2025, 08:42

There has been a breakthrough in talks on the Brexit 'reset' deal, as Starmer prepares to host an EU summit in London.

There has been a breakthrough in Sir Keir Starmer's talks to secure a new deal with the EU.

The breakthrough reportedly happened last night, but there are still steps to take before a deal is signed, it is understood.

It comes as Starmer prepares to host EU leaders in a summit in London.

As the high-level negotiations progressed, several stumbling blocks emerged including fishing rights and freedom of movement.

But the breakthrough in talks, which came Sunday night at around 10.30 pm, was mostly concerned with fishing rights, it is understood.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the deal with the EU when he meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London on Monday.

The Prime Minister said the agreement would be "another step forwards" for the UK and "good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders".

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Emily Thornberry on the Brexit 'reset deal'

Monday's summit has been expected to bring an announcement on British access to a 150 billion euro (£125 billion) EU defence fund, in what could be a boost for UK defence companies.

But reports suggest there could also be agreements on allowing British travellers to use e-gates at European airports, cutting red tape on food exports and imports, and setting up a youth mobility scheme with the EU.

Ahead of the summit, Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has been leading negotiations with Brussels, told LBC that a deal could give the UK the "tools to tackle illegal migration", create growth and get the economy moving.

He accused Brexiteers against a deal of "defending a status quo that is not working in the best interests of the British people."

"We will never sign a deal that's not in our national interest," he added.

"We're going right up to the wire."

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As part of the deal, the UK is also set to accept EU rules on food standards to “make sure we get far easier trade”.

Labour says ‘alignment’ on food standards would lower the cost of imported goods and dramatically reduce red tape, but critics have pointed out it means Britain won’t get a say on how the rules are created.

Other policies expected to be announced tomorrow include a youth mobility scheme and British access to the EU’s 150bn euro defence fund.

Talks on the UK-EU deal are understood to be in their "final hours.”

Chair of the foreign affairs select committee Emily Thornberry compared Brexit to Covid lockdowns, telling LBC today Brexit was “one of those traumatic events that people just want to move on from.”

She said: “Those who didn't want to leave are not particularly happy, but everybody's kind of moved on. I think it's a little bit like the lockdown. You know, it's kind of one of those traumatic events that people just want to move on from.

"The difficulty is, is that our deal with the European Union isn't really good enough. And if we can improve it, then we can, you know, we can increase our growth, we can. We can look after our economies, we can put more money in people's pockets. So I don't think many people are against that.

But on Sunday Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the final details of the deal were still being worked out, with talks going "to the wire".

Mr Thomas-Symonds would not give details of the prospective deal during broadcast interviews on Sunday, telling LBC a deal could help secure the UK's borders and boost the economy.

But he added Government had been pushing for British citizens to be able to use EU queues at airports once again, and he was "confident" that a deal on food could be reached.He also suggested the UK could be open to aligning with EU rules in some areas "to make sure we get far easier trade", saying this was "a sovereign choice", and he said any youth mobility scheme would have to be "smart and controlled".

Both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have already described the deal as a "surrender", despite the details not yet being known, and indicated they would tear it up if they came to power.

Youth mobility could prove a major sticking point for the opposition, and Mrs Badenoch said she feared it would involve a return to free movement "by the back door".

Existing schemes with countries including Australia and Canada involve limited numbers and require a visa, but the details of any EU scheme remain to be seen.

But the Liberal Democrats have backed a "capped youth mobility scheme", and the party's Europe spokesman James MacCleary accused the Government of "dragging their heels when it comes to properly negotiating on the issue"

The Lib Dems have also said that a youth mobility scheme could boost GDP by enough to fund a reversal of the cuts to the winter fuel payment.

But the economic expansion predicted by the Centre for European Reform as a result of a youth mobility scheme would take years to materialise.