Britain is poised to agree the most significant reset of ties with the European Union since Brexit on Monday, seeking closer collaboration on trade and defence to help grow the economy and boost security on the continent, APA reports citing Reuters.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who backed remaining in the EU, has made a bet that securing tangible benefits for Britons will outweigh any talk of "Brexit betrayal" from critics like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage when he agrees closer EU alignment at a summit in London.
Starmer will argue that the world has changed since Britain left the bloc in 2020, and at the heart of the new reset will be a defence and security pact that could pave the way for British defence companies to take part in a 150 billion euros ($167 billion) programme to rearm Europe.
The reset follows U.S. President Donald Trump's upending of the post-war global order and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which have forced governments around the world to rethink ties on trade, defence and security.
Britain struck a full trade deal with India earlier this month and secured some tariff relief from the United States. The EU has also accelerated efforts to forge trade deals with the likes of India and deepen partnerships with countries including Canada, Australia, Japan and Singapore.
Negotiations between the two sides continued into Sunday evening, before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa were due in London on Monday morning. One EU diplomat cautioned that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".
From the issues up for discussion, Britain is hoping to drastically reduce the border checks and paperwork slowing down UK and EU food and agricultural exports, while access to faster e-gates for UK travellers at EU airports would be hugely popular.
In return, Britain is expected to agree to a limited youth mobility scheme and could participate in the Erasmus+ student exchange programme. France also wants a long-term deal on fishing rights, one of the most emotive issues during Brexit.
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