Latest news with #UK-EUSummit
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Starmer seeks to sell benefits of trade deals in meeting with Swinney and other leaders
Prime Minister highlights economic benefits of deals with the US, India and the EU Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Recent trade deals with the US, India and the EU will 'improve livelihoods' across the UK, Sir Keir Starmer said. Ahead of a meeting with devolved national and regional leaders on Friday, the Prime Minister sought to highlight the economic benefits of the recent deals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UK Government says Scottish produce such as whisky, salmon and gin will all receive a boost from tariffs being slashed and trade barriers being cut. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has struck deals with US president Donald Trump, India and the EU | PA Ministers say this week's 'reset' deal with the EU will address problems experienced by salmon exporters since 2019. Welsh farmers will benefit from the elimination of India's lamb tariffs and the ability to export meat products to the EU. Northern Irish whiskey exports to India will benefit from tariffs halving trom 150 per cent to 75 per cent before falling further to 40 per cent over a decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Council of Nations and Regions will meet in London on Friday, bringing together political leaders from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London and English metro mayors. Starmer: Deals deliver 'long-term security' This will be the second formal meeting since the council was set up by the Labour Government, with the first taking place in Edinburgh last October. The Prime Minister said 'these trade deals deliver long-term security' for people across the UK. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after hosting a joint press conference during the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House in London | POOL/AFP via Getty Images 'They will create opportunities for more seamless trade and attract inward investment to grow the economy, making a difference to people's lives. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'These changes will be felt everywhere, whether it's lower food prices at the checkout, more choice for consumers and higher living standards that will improve livelihoods.' Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said his industry welcomed the latest trade deals. He said: 'Ministers rightly recognise salmon as the jewel in the crown of our world-class produce and its vital role in the economy of coastal communities and across the UK. 'Securing frictionless access to key markets such as the EU, along with expanding opportunities in India, is crucial to protect our producers from unnecessary barriers like tariffs and red tape.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, which represents fishing fleets around the country, has described the EU deal as a 'horror show' which fails to deal with sovereign access rights. A trawler in the North Sea | PA During the meeting on Friday, the Prime Minister is expected to challenge the devolved leaders to use the trade deals to drive growth forward in their areas. The leaders will also discuss the use of AI in delivering services. Bilateral talks with Swinney Ahead of the meeting, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said there must be a UK-wide mission to raise living standards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He will also take part in bilateral talks with the Prime Minister on Friday and will call for the winter fuel payment to be restored for all pensioners. PA Mr Swinney said: 'People across the UK are living through a period of huge uncertainty and, for some, that is undermining the trust they have in government. 'Cutting the winter fuel payment saw the UK Government breaking promises and removing vital financial support for some of the most vulnerable in our society. 'Having effectively conceded the argument by announcing a partial U-turn, the Prime Minister should accept the cut was wrong and restore a universal winter fuel payment.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Daily Record
22-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
EU agreement welcomed by Livingston MP and Salmon Scotland as Scottish Government is shut out
The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has described the deal as a 'horror show' Livingston's MP welcomed the announcement of the new agreement between the UK and the European Union. Gregor Poynton MP pointed to 'broad support' from Scottish business for the deal which he says will bring significant benefits to industries north of the border. However, he took a dig at Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, who was critical of EU fishing rights in Scottish waters saying the industry had been 'surrendered away'. The chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation described the deal as a 'horror show' but Gregor Poynton has highlighted supported for it from Salmon Scotland, the UK's biggest food exporter. In a direct exchange with Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a parliamentary statement on the UK-EU Summit, Gregor Poynton asked the PM: 'When it comes to evaluating the merits of the deal, who would the Prime Minister suggest my Livingston constituents listen to? 'Should it be the Scottish Chamber of Commerce, the NFU Scotland or Scottish Salmon, all who have welcomed the deal? Or should they listen to John Swinney, who's lining up the Leader of the Opposition and the Member for Clacton [Nigel Farage] at a desperate, misguided attempt to try and create a constitutional grievance, a deal for which the Deputy First Minister has called 'important progress'?' In response, the Prime Minister said he was 'surprised' to see Scotland's First Minister's opposition to the deal. The new agreement with the European Union follows extensive negotiations over the past six months. It includes a significant agreement that should make it easier for Scottish food and drink businesses to export products to EU markets by reducing red tape and bureaucracy that had placed burdens on businesses since Brexit. Scottish Salmon witnessed a £75 million drop in exports to the EU from 2019 to 2023 due to increased red tape. Scottish seed potato farmers, who have been banned from selling their products in Europe since 2021, will also regain access to crucial EU markets. According to the Labour government the agreement is set to benefit key Scottish industries including energy, agrifood, and defence sectors, which form a proportionally larger part of Scotland's economy compared to the UK as a whole. In the energy sector, it's claimed the deal will make it cheaper and easier to sell electricity to the EU, potentially accelerating investment in offshore wind in the North Sea, creating jobs and cutting costs. Scotland's External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson welcomed the closer co-operation between the UK and the EU and positive aspects of the agreement but labelled the decision not to involve the Scottish Government in any negotiations 'an affront to devolution'. He said: 'The Scottish Government welcomes the agreement as it represents long-overdue momentum in rebuilding our relationship with the European Union. But no agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits we lost with Brexit in 2020. 'We argued for an ambitious package in the interests of people and businesses across Scotland, and there are some positive indicators here, including the agriculture, food and drink agreement which will reduce market barriers; and enhanced cooperation on energy and climate, and a clear intention to rejoin the Erasmus exchange programme. 'The fact that this agreement – not least on fisheries – was reached without the explicit engagement of the devolved governments on the negotiation detail is not just an affront to devolution, it has put at risk, and will continue to put at risk, the benefits of any commitments for the people of Scotland.' He added: 'We still believe Scotland's best future lies as an independent country within the European Union but we will engage constructively and positively in the next phase of negotiations. We also hope to see the UK Government work collaboratively with devolved governments in developing its priorities – as the EU does with its Member States.'
Scotsman
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
I voted Remain, but here's why Starmer is getting too close to the EU
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,' despairs Al Pacino's mafia boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part 3, as he tries in vain to leave behind his life of organised crime. It's not an exact analogy, but supporters of the UK's departure from the European Union may be feeling something similar this week. The Brexit wars are back, if they ever went away, thanks to a deal unveiled in London on Monday by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, presidents of the European Commission and the European Council. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In a spectrum of favourability towards Brexit, Reform leader Nigel Farage could sit at one end and Starmer at the other. From a crowded field, few politicians did more to try to keep the UK in the EU. Starmer was Shadow Brexit Secretary under the Labour leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and campaigned for a 'People's Vote' – another referendum he hoped would reverse the result of the first. European Council President Antonio Costa, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen host a joint press conference during the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House in London | Pool/AFP via Getty Images As Labour leader in opposition, he appeared to make peace with the 2016 result and ruled out a re-run, vowing in July 2022 to 'move on from the arguments of the past'. Three years and a thumping House of Commons majority later, and the old arguments have made a return, which should surprise no one. The Prime Minister is not known for his constancy and his aversion to Brexit clearly runs deep. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For Starmer and those who sit with him at his end of the Brexit-ometer, the EU is a beacon of progressive values, economic strength and political stability. 'New beginning for old friends' From this perspective, there are only downsides to Brexit, which can be blamed for much of what's gone wrong with the UK over the past decade. For the Europeans, it may also have had the unwelcome effect of putting ideas in the heads of other member states. No wonder Starmer, von der Leyen and Costa looked so delighted as they announced the outcome of their negotiations. They stressed this was not a reversal (perish the thought) but a 'reset' of relations - a 'new beginning for old friends', as von der Leyen put it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But on the other side of the aisle, many of the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit will, at the very least, have concerns. On fishing, the UK has signed up to allowing EU vessels access to British waters for another 12 years. The free trade agreement rules that were drawn up in 2020 were due to be renegotiated in 2026, and annually from then on. This will now not happen until 2038. Slippery slope The 'dynamic alignment' agreed in London will see EU rules, overseen by the European Court of Justice, applied in food, farming, energy and climate policy. Slippery slope theorists suggest that, if EU rules can be applied to British burgers and sausages today, they can be introduced for something else tomorrow. And of course these closer ties, and participation in EU schemes, will come with a hefty price tag from Brussels. No wonder Farage, many Tories and the fishing industry have been crying 'surrender', 'sell-out' and 'betrayal'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Starmer and his supporters see the EU 'reset' as a diplomatic triumph – the third of three trade deals in quick succession, after the US and India. Chancellor Rachel Reeves now has her sights set on the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. The 'hat-trick of deals' shows the UK is 'back on the world stage', Starmer told MPs on Tuesday. 'Get Brexit Undone' Emboldened by his success, he may well continue to chip away at the barriers between the UK and the EU. 'Get Brexit Undone' could be his rallying call, after Boris Johnson's 2019 election slogan 'Get Brexit Done'. Obviously this would be wildly popular at the Starmer end of the spectrum and wildly unpopular at the Farage end. Most people are somewhere in the middle. Starmer needs to be alive to the fact that for many Remain voters, like me, today's EU looks like a very different proposition from the EU of 2016. This week, the europhile French newspaper Le Figaro published an op-ed entitled 'The EU is a hostage to its bureaucracy'. The bloc's refusal to innovate and 'relaunch European capitalism' meant it had 'ruined its agriculture and industry', rendering it incapable of competing with the US and China, it said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Anti-Brexit demonstrator Steve Bray and fellow pro EU-activists wave flags as they protest near Lancaster House, the venue of the UK-EU Summit in London | AFP via Getty Images It cited how car manufacturing and steel and chemical production have plummeted in recent years, with European industry shrinking on the world market from 22.5 per cent to 14 per cent since 2000, and how three million farms have disappeared since 2015. Last October, French president Emmanuel Macron, a passionate proponent of the EU, said: 'Our former model is over – we are over-regulating and under-investing. In the two to three years to come, if we follow our classical agenda, we will be out of the market, I have no doubt.' 'We must genuinely fear for our self-preservation' Macron's warning followed a grim assessment the previous month from former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi. In a 400-page report, Draghi, who was president of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019, said Europe was stagnating and that, without more investment and less bureaucracy, 'we will have to scale back some, if not all, of our ambitions'. 'For the first time since the Cold War, we must genuinely fear for our self-preservation,' he wrote. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad These comments, from europhile quarters, paint a picture of a crumbling empire, and in countries across Europe voters are turning en masse to insurgent eurosceptic parties. There is no shortage of reasons why UK support for reintegration with the EU may be less solid than Starmer would like to believe.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
With US and EU deals, Britain embarks on high-risk balancing act
European Council President Antonio Costa, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stand with members of the Royal Navy on board Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland in central London, following the UK-EU Summit. Picture date: Monday May 19, 2025. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS LONDON - Britain's pursuit of trade deals with the European Union and United States, while courting China, has made it a test case for navigating U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable new world order. A historically open nation, reliant on global commerce, Britain has secured several trade accords since Trump's sweeping tariffs unleashed a trade war. It negotiated a free trade deal with India, tariff relief from Washington and repositioned itself closer to the European Union on defence, energy and agriculture. The approach has tested the patience of the United States, China and the EU, three major trade powers that make up two-thirds of Britain's trade, and any limited economic benefits are likely to take time to emerge, analysts say. Martin Donnelly, formerly the chief civil servant in Britain's trade ministry, said there were no "easy or cheap wins" in the current environment and the government risked "being shut out by the three big trade blocs" if it gets the strategy wrong. In a fragmented world, trade analysts said Britain had accepted its role as a satellite in the United States' security and tech orbit, giving Washington oversight of some supply chains and steel ownership that could squeeze out China. It fended off U.S. demands for increased access to its food markets so it could align itself more closely with Brussels, with that deal eased by the EU's desire for tighter military ties with Britain. It is also trying to improve ties with China: to secure inward investment and consumer goods, to sell its financial services to China's elite, while trying to avoid sharing sensitive technologies that could anger the United States. Marco Forgione, head of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, said some of the 80,000 British businesses that export were already restructuring supply chains to ringfence high-risk sectors, including defence and AI. "They need a strategy that works with all major markets," he said, adding that an approach that deals with the EU, U.S. and China differently across sectors made sense, "but only if our partners see it as coherent and not opportunistic". One trade official, who has worked in London and Brussels, said Britain had extracted concessions from Trump that the U.S. president would be unwilling to give to Europe, and that it had also accepted a satellite status that would likely be anathema to Brussels. The official, who asked not to be named due to his government work, said the challenge ahead was to keep all partners on side. TORTUOUS POST-BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS Britain became an independent trading nation in 2020 after four years of tortuous negotiations following its vote to leave the EU. Advocates of Brexit had said it would free the country to strike trade deals with faster growing economies in Asia. Proponents also wanted it to build on the strong security ties Britain had with the U.S., to incorporate greater trade in food and goods, but that failed to materialise. Britain's budget forecaster believes the post-Brexit weakening of trade will lead to the economy's potential productivity being 4% smaller after 15 years than it would have been if it had remained in the bloc. Weighed down by 2.8 trillion pounds ($3.7 trillion) of debt and with an economy that is struggling to grow, it seeks alliances to deliver growth, and security in a more uncertain world. Paul Drechsler, who is on the board of the UK's business and trade department and has led companies in Britain and abroad, said the recent deals would help to build trust. "It's just such an important time, both in terms of geopolitics, but also in terms of the economy globally, we need to do things that will get trade going," he said. Britain became the first country to get a reduction in U.S. tariffs when it announced a limited deal with Trump to lower levies on cars and steel, but it retained the baseline 10% U.S. tariff, despite having balanced trade with the United States. Janka Oertel, director of the Asia programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that would have angered the EU, Japan and others that wanted a united front against Trump. That U.S. deal could also be a challenge to ties with China, especially given security clauses on steel that give the U.S. the potential to exclude China from the British steel industry. Starmer's government has made improving ties with China one of its main foreign policy goals since it was elected last July, after successive Conservative governments sparred with Beijing over human rights, Hong Kong, investment and security concerns. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said agreements between countries should not target other nations and that China was prepared to respond "as necessary". Oertel said Britain could find itself in an awkward situation if China goes "very hard on the UK to scare others into not signing on to these agreements". "What the UK has managed to do is kind of make itself the guinea pig," she said, "and I'm not sure that's a comfortable position to be in." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
David Lammy 'There's no going back - we must work with allies in this new era'
When I'm travelling, I'm often asked: 'When will the world go back to how it was before?' My answer is simple – there is no going back. We are in a new era, and we must work with our allies to deal with the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be. This new era is marked by accelerating uncertainty and rivalry. By new technology like drones, making conflict cheaper and easier. By resource scarcity and climate change. And by irregular migration heaping pressure on societies, while criminal gangs reap the profits. The impact is felt across Britain, from energy bills to the weekly shop. But the underlying trends are global. Britain is always stronger when we cooperate with our partners. And I see my task as Foreign Secretary is to deepen and multiply those alliances, in contrast to the Tories' decade-long alienation of so many of our friends and neighbours. The EU is one of our closest partners. An organisation encompassing most of our nearest neighbours. They are the world's largest trading bloc, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, and an indispensable partner on the issues that we care about most. However, exports with the EU had dropped by 21% since Brexit, red tape was everywhere, and relations were at a low point. That is why, coming into government, one of our early priorities was to reconnect with our partners in Europe, and to put arguments of the past behind us. At the UK-EU Summit yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that Britain was back on the world stage and set out a partnership that will remove barriers for British business, boost UK exports, and improve our security – one that delivers for working people in the UK. It's good for bills, good for jobs, and good for our borders, delivering on our Plan for Change. Security at home requires strength abroad and our new Security and Defence Partnership will ensure we work much more closely with the EU, to benefit us all, on all the challenges we face. And while NATO is the bedrock of our security, this partnership will open doors for Britain. It will unlock opportunities for our world-leading defence industry, strengthen collaboration to combat organised crime and hybrid threats, and improve support for British citizens during times of crisis abroad. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. It will also boost cooperation on challenges like irregular migration, human tracking and people smuggling. It will also ensure British interests are represented and fought for across our continent. We are already putting this into action. Today, both the UK and the EU are unveiling new sanctions on Russia, showing how we are continuing to ramp up the pressure on Putin. This all means we have delivered three trade deals, in three weeks, with three of the world's largest economies. All of them are the result of careful, patient diplomacy. All of them will deliver increased security and prosperity to the British people and demonstrate how this government is relentlessly focussed on doing deals abroad that put money in people's pockets at home.
