Brits must wait for easier travel and cheaper food as Starmer hails Brexit deal ...Middle East

Sir Keir Starmer has said his Brexit reset deal with the EU will lower supermarket prices, make holidays easier and boost British businesses and defence firms.

But voters will still have to wait to feel the benefits as London and Brussels left much of the detail to be thrashed out in future negotiations, and left a major clash over under-30s visas unresolved.

The Prime Minister also faced accusations from Brexit-backing Conservatives and Reform after agreeing to align with EU rules in a number of areas, and making a major last-minute concession to allow European fleets 12 years of ongoing fishing rights in the UK.

But Starmer said the deal showed Britain was “back on the world stage” after trade deals with Donald Trump’s United States and India, as he said it was time “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”.

The Government also claimed the reset deal would boost the economy by £9bn-a-year by 2040 in another boost for Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she struggles to generate growth and balance the public finances.

UK negotiators were also understood to believe that the concession on fishing was worth it to secure a permanent deal on food trade, which Brussels had wanted to time-limit in line with EU access to British waters, and which Starmer said would “lower food prices at the checkout”.

However, the detail of the agreement to cut red tape on imports and allow British sausages, burgers and shellfish to be sold in the EU for the first time since Brexit still needs to be finalised amid warnings of a looming clash over UK plans to liberalise rules around gene-edited crops.

square POLITICS

New Brexit deal to lower supermarket prices... but not for years

The PM also hailed an agreement in principle for EU countries to use passport e-gates, ensuring holidaymakers can travel “easily and without delay and chaos” – but he conceded it was still up to member states whether to implement the change.

He also admitted that the UK had failed to secure a carve-out on a new EU system that will force travellers to input biometric data such as fingerprints at airports the first time they travel to Europe after its introduction, which experts have warned could lead to queues.

The UK and EU meanwhile agreed to cooperate on a “youth experience” scheme for under-30s travelling between the two sides, but there is expected to be disagreement over how many people can access it and the costs of visas and associated fees.

A security and defence partnership will pave the way for UK arms firms to bid for work under the EU’s proposed new £150bn security action for Europe (Safe) fund, but the details of how Britain can access the rearmament loans scheme, including budgetary contributions, are subject to further negotiations.

There were however deals to link UK and EU emissions-trading schemes, which will mean British firms will not be hit by Brussels’ carbon tax next year and protect British steel exports from new EU rules and restrictive tariffs, saving the beleaguered industry £25m.

Speaking after a summit with Starmer and European Council President Antoinio Costa at Lancaster House in London, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We are turning a page. We are opening a new chapter in our unique relationship.”

But she appeared to suggest it would take “years” to fully feel the benefits.

Starmer said the deal “gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, the best of any country” outside of the bloc or the European Free Trade Association.

But the Conservatives branded the gathering a “surrender summit”, with leader Kemi Badenoch saying it would make Britain a “rule-taker” that was “giving up fishing rights and paying new money to the EU”.

Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said the 12-year deal on access for European boats “will be the end of the fishing industry”.

Farage’s deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Labour surrenders. Brussels bureaucrats win again.”

But business groups welcomed the deal, with the British Retail Consortium’s Helen Dickinson saying it “will help keep costs down”.

Confederation of British Industry chief executive Rain Newton-Smith said: “After the turbulence of the last decade, today’s summit marks a leap forward in the EU-UK relationship.”

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Brits must wait for easier travel and cheaper food as Starmer hails Brexit deal )

Also on site :

• Billboard’s 2025 Global Power Players Revealed
• Meghan Markle shares unseen family photos on seventh wedding anniversary to Prince Harry
• Amazon’s Best-Selling Power Bank Is Now Nearly Free, 76K Reviews Can’t Be Wrong