Starmer responds to accusations of backsliding over Brexit

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed the idea that the UK’s new deal with the EU betrays the principles of Brexit, arguing that the agreement is being welcomed by British people and businesses.

Starmer was speaking at a press conference alongside European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following the announcement of a new deal between the UK and the EU at the inaugural UK-EU Summit in London on Monday 19 May.

Asked whether the newly minted deal between the government and the European Union represents a backslide over Brexit, Starmer said that many of those who criticised the agreement did so even before reading any of what it entailed.

“This is a comprehensive agreement, it is balanced, reciprocal and has huge benefits for the United Kingdom based on our three principles, which are driving down bills, driving up jobs, and having control of our borders,” Starmer said.

“I listen to the voices of those that are trading, the businesses across the country who are saying this is a good step forward.”

“I look at how this impacts working people, what supermarkets are saying, what businesses are saying—because they are welcoming it and they are welcoming it because it is a very good step in the right direction,” he added.

EU deal puts Britain back on the world stage

Starmer said this new deal with the EU puts Britain back on the world stage.

“This deal is a win-win, it delivers what the British public voted for last year, it gives us unprecedented access to the European market. This deal is good for both sides.”

Speaking about the event and key aspects of the new agreement, Von der Leyen labelled the summit a success and commended Starmer’s leadership.

“We are turning a page. We are opening a new chapter in our unique relationship. This is a story of historical partners standing side by side on the global stage.”

“What we have agreed today is historic. It will make a real difference to people in the UK and across our union, but the message we are sending across the world is equally if not more important,” she said.

“It is a message that at a time of global instability and when our continent faces the greatest threat it has for generations, we in Europe stick together.”

The UK-EU summit will be a regular event going forward, with the United Kingdom and European Union meeting every year to build on this partnership.

What’s in the new deal ?

The new deal between the UK and the EU will bring closer cooperation between the two entities, with Starmer stating that the agreement will help bring back British jobs and put more money in British people’s pockets.

The agreement will make it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported, and some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely, allowing goods to flow freely again, including between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Starmer said these changes could lead to lower food prices and increase choice on supermarket shelves, translating to more money in British people’s pockets.

The EU and UK will also co-operate more closely on energy and emissions target, with British steel exports being protected from new EU rules and tariffs. The UK has also reached a new 12-year agreement that protects Britain’s fishing rights with no increase in the amount of fish EU vessels can catch in British waters.

British holidaymakers will also be able to use more eGates in Europe, and the UK and the EU have also agreed to co-operate further on a youth experience scheme, which could see young people able to work and travel freely in Europe again.