21-05-2025
Times Letters: Mixed success of Starmer's reset with the EU
Sir, The much-vaunted EU-UK summit turned out to be more of a beginning than an end. For all the talk of agricultural deals, defence industrial co-operation, pet passports and working together to combat irregular migration, precious little was signed at Lancaster House yesterday. Rather, the two sides have agreed to work together to put flesh on the bones of these areas for further co-operation. Not that this is a criticism: simply recognising how much more could be done to improve the relationship is an achievement in itself. But it is one that should be viewed in the context of the clear asymmetry that the talks revealed. Two substantive deals were actually signed. The first allowed the EU access to UK fishing waters until 2038; the
