UK, EU reset ties 5 yrs after Brexit; vow to ease trade flow

Britain and the European Union hailed a new chapter in their relationship on Monday after they sealed new agreements on defence cooperation and easing trade flows at their first formal summit since Brexit.

PM Keir Starmer, who met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials in London for talks, said the deals will slash red tape, grow the British economy and reset relations with the 27-nation trade bloc since the UK left the EU in 2020.

Von der Leyen called the talks a “historic moment” that benefits both sides. More broadly, she said it sends a message at a time of global upheaval that the UK and EU are “natural partners standing side-by-side on the global stage”.

Britain’s opposition parties slammed the deals as backtracking on Brexit. “We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again,” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said.

Under the deals, the UK to access a EU defence loan programme worth 150 billion euros (USD 170 billion).