Latest news with #ThomasSymonds
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UK-EU reset live: Starmer insists post-Brexit deal will be ‘good for our borders' ahead of crunch summit
Sir Keir Starmer 's government has been urged to be 'bold in its offer to the EU ' in order to 'maximise benefits' from his reset plans, as MPs criticised his 'secretive' approach. As the prime minister prepares to host the first UK-EU summit on Monday, where he hopes to make significant progress on a deal, a cross-party group of MPs warned that his efforts were being hampered by a 'perceived absence of a strategic vision'. In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the lack of a 'compelling political narrative' had left those outside Westminster unclear about British policy and unconvinced of the 'strategic importance' of making the reset a success. Urging the government to be bolder, committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'We should be clear about what it is that we want and act with a little less caution and a lot more confidence. If we do this, there is every reason to believe the EU will respond positively.' Britons to whizz through EU passport queues, minister suggests Mr Thomas-Symonds, who is in charge of Britain's post-Brexit reset with Brussels, has suggested Britons will be able to whizz through EU queues on holiday as part of the reset deal. In a boost to travellers, the Europe minister confirmed he has been pushing his EU counterpart to allow UK arrivals in the bloc to use its passport lanes. He stopped short of confirming it has been agreed, cautioning that 'nothing is agreed until everything is'. But he told Sky News: 'We want British people who are going on holiday to be able to go and enjoy their holiday and not be stuck in queues.' Sam Rkaina18 May 2025 09:10 Brexit status quo 'isn't working for British people', Europe minister says The Brexit status quo 'isn't working for the British people', Sir Keir Starmer's Europe minister has said. Nick Thomas-Symonds told Sky News the government is 'pushing everything to the limit and negotiating very hard' to reset Britain's trading relationship with Europe. 'That's exactly what the British people would expect of us,' Mr Thomas-Symonds said. But, amid last-minute wrangling with the EU over thorny issues such as fishing and tuition fees, he warned that 'nobody can guarantee' a deal will get over the line. He added: 'We want to emerge with a deal that we can say makes our borders more secure, is good for jobs and growth and is bringing people's household bills down. 'That is what is in our national interest, and that's what we'll continue to do over these final few hours.' Sam Rkaina18 May 2025 09:02 Starmer will negotiate 'in the national interest', government insists With Tory leader Kemi Badenoch expressing concern about the nature of the talks, claiming that 'whenever Labour negotiates Britain loses', a UK government spokesperson insisted that Sir Keir would 'negotiate in the national interest'. The spokesperson said: 'No final agreement has been made. We are not providing a running commentary on our discussions with the EU; these are ongoing and cover a wide range of issues. 'We have been clear that we will always act in the national interest to secure the best outcomes for the UK.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 07:00 Any deal with EU not a 'one off', says Rachel Reeves Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that any deal secured on Monday would not be a 'one off' but a 'step towards' closer partnership with Europe in further areas. In an interview on Friday, the chancellor insisted that the government would stick to its 'red lines' but suggested that an agreement on Monday could herald deeper cooperation with the EU. 'We think that because of the trust we built, we can get a better deal. The European Union have understood from the beginning those red lines,' Ms Reeves told The Guardian. 'I am ambitious for our future. This isn't a one-off. There will be things that we achieve, some concrete outcomes on Monday, but there will also be a step towards where we want to go next between our countries. 'And I see that as a journey, not that what happens on Monday is the end; there will be future areas where we can do more.' 18 May 2025 06:00 Starmer told to be more ambitious with EU reset to tackle Brexit 'suffering' The Labour chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee has urged Keir Starmer to be 'courageous' in resetting his relationship with Europe to tackle the 'suffering' caused by Brexit. In an interview with The Independent, Dame Emily Thornberry said: 'We should be going further than the government currently seems to have the ambition for doing.' She warned there was a 'compelling case... of the amount that the country is suffering as a result of having put trade barriers between Europe and Britain, (which) means that our growth has been severely compromised'. To tackle the problem and tear down some of the barriers, such as the need to check goods coming into the country meet certain standards, she said ministers should be more relaxed about the issue. 'I would like us to be much more relaxed about goods having the same sort of regulation… if we just agree the same kind of standards, not just for food, but generally, I think that would make life much easier.' Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports: Starmer told to be more ambitious with EU reset to tackle 'suffering' of Brexit Labour prime minister, set for 11th-hour Brexit reset talks with Macron and Ursula von der Leyen to secure crucial deal, faces calls to be more ambitious Andy Gregory18 May 2025 05:00 Starmer accused of shutting foreign press out of Monday's summit Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of shutting European news outlets out of his much-hyped EU-UK summit on Monday. With the prime minister set to unveil his post-Brexit reset plans alongside Brussels leaders, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) has said 'almost every European news outlet' with a foreign correspondent in London has been denied access to the summit. In a letter sent to Downing Street the FPA, which represents foreign journalists based in the UK, said: 'Sir Keir Starmer, you state that you want a reset with the EU. You organise a summit between the UK and the EU to restart the relationship. 'Yet you deny accreditation to almost every European news outlet who has a foreign correspondent in London, leaving out the biggest news agencies, the most important papers, the most trusted broadcasters.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 04:00 Starmer vows closer EU ties will be good for jobs and living standards Sir Keir Starmer has said that closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK's jobs, bills and borders ahead of a London summit on Monday at which he could announce a deal with the bloc. The prime minister said: 'In this time of great uncertainty and volatility, the UK will not respond by turning inwards but by proudly taking our place on the world stage – strengthening our alliances and closing deals in the interests of British people. 'First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that's jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising. More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses. 'Tomorrow, we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union. It will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders. 'That's what the British people voted for last year, and it's what my government will deliver.' Andy Gregory18 May 2025 03:00 Starmer gives new hope for EU youth mobility scheme Sir Keir Starmer has defended his planned youth mobility scheme with the EU, insisting it does not cross Labour's red line on freedom of movement and will be good for 'working people'. Ahead of its announcement at the UK-EU summit in London on Monday, he said a youth mobility deal is 'not freedom of movement'. The deal, a key part of the prime minister's post-Brexit reset of relations with Brussels – as reported by The Independent on Wednesday – will be a 'really significant moment', Sir Keir added. Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports: Starmer gives new hope for EU youth mobility scheme ahead of Brexit reset Sir Keir Starmer has suggested youth mobility would not break Labour's red lines, ahead of a UK-EU summit in London on Monday Andy Gregory18 May 2025 02:00 What have been sticking points in talks with EU? In a last-minute row in the talks with the EU, it was reported on Friday that EU member states were demanding that EU students should pay lower British tuition fee rates for universities, which could cost the UK an estimated £1bn. French president Emmanuel Macron was also leading a charge for demands that EU fishermen can fish in British waters as part of a deal to allow trade barriers to be removed. Added to that, there were criticisms that there is a lack of ambition in a proposed youth mobility scheme for 18 to 30-year-olds, with claims the UK cap on the number of people who could come here are too low for the liking of EU member states. The youth mobility scheme was reported by The Independent on Wednesday to be a key part of Sir Keir's reset plans, with a senior government source saying the strategy 'driven' by the PM would anger 'the two extremities' of the Brexit debate but 'most will see it as a good deal'. Andy Gregory18 May 2025 01:30 Watch: Starmer meets von der Leyen in Albania in 11th hour Brexit reset talks
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Animal medicine NI: Concern over lack of agreement post-Brexit
A House of Lords committee has written to the government amid continuing concern about the supply of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland scrutiny committee says it has "further questions" that have not been addressed in human medicines are covered by the Windsor Framework, animal medicines are instead subject to an extended grace period that expires at the end of this British Veterinary Association (BVA) has warned that a failure to reach an agreement could have "potentially devastating consequences". The letter to Thomas Symonds, the minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, asks for "urgent clarity" on matters including what adjustments are being made to ensure supply of veterinary medicines and what the government's current assessment is of products at risk of discontinuation. The BVA has said it does not believe agreement will be achieved within the remaining grace president Elizabeth Mullineaux said: "A veterinary agreement with the EU could have an incredibly positive impact on so many different areas of concern, but in particular, could finally lead to a permanent resolution to the long-standing question of future access to vital veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland."Without a solution, there are serious implications not only for animal health and welfare, but also for public health."The BVA has proposed a series of short-term solutions and mitigations while negotiations include re-routing supply through the Republic of Ireland, creating exceptions for medicines that were aligned with regulation pre-Brexit and developing a special import certificate to allow the import of medicines from outside the European Economic Northern Ireland scrutiny committee was appointed in January 2025, after the dissolution of the former Windsor Framework Sub-Committee at the end of the last examines the Windsor Framework, complementing the work of the Democratic Scrutiny Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
