The United Kingdom and the European Union cut a breakthrough deal on Monday pertaining to fisheries, trade and security.
The deal was finalised hours before a high-level UK-EU summit in London, which seeks to reset Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with Europe.
What is the UK-EU summit about?
On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted the first UK-EU summit in London since Brexit. Senior EU officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attended the summit.
Brexit is short for “British exit”, and it refers to the UK withdrawing from the then 28-nation trade bloc. In June 2016, a referendum took place where voters were asked whether the UK should leave the EU, and 52 percent of voters preferred the withdrawal. The official exit took place in January 2020. The same year, a Brexit deal with the EU was struck by the Conservative Party led by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The EU is the UK’s largest trading partner. Since Brexit, the UK has seen a 21 percent drop in exports to the EU and a 7 percent drop in imports from the member countries, according to a statement from Starmer’s office on Monday.
What does the deal entail?
The deal covers agreements in several sectors, including:
Fishing
Before Brexit, EU nations could fish in British waters, just as UK vessels could hunt for fish in the waters of other European nations. Under a common EU policy, however, there were quotas in place on how much fish could be caught in the waters of any nation to prevent overfishing.
Under the 2020 post-Brexit deal, the EU agreed to reduce its fishing quota in UK waters by 25 percent gradually by 2026. In 2026, Britain could choose to completely ban EU ships from fishing in its waters.
The deal announced on Monday keeps the 25 percent quota cut, but extends access for EU boats to British waters until 2038.
Starmer’s office also announced a 360-million-pound (about $481m) fund to invest in coastal communities. This money will go “towards new technology and equipment to modernise the fleet, training to help upskill the workforce, and funding to help revitalise coastal communities, support tourism and boost seafood exports”, according to Starmer’s office.
Agriculture and food exports
The EU has agreed to a deal which simplifies checks for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods. SPS goods include agricultural products, food and animals. This means some routine border checks on plant and animal products will be dropped on both sides.
Security
In a post on X, Starmer said the EU and the UK will work closely on security matters by sharing intelligence. This includes sharing facial recognition data.
Britons on holiday will be able to use e-gates – the automated entry and exit gates – at more European airports to avoid long queues at immigration counters.
Carbon taxes
The UK and the EU will link their carbon markets – trading systems in which carbon credits are sold and bought – to avoid carbon taxes.
“Combined, the SPS and Emissions Trading Systems linking measures alone are set to add nearly £9 billion [$12bn] to the UK economy by 2040, in a huge boost for growth,” the statement from 10 Downing Street said on Monday.
Youth mobility
The EU and the UK are also agreeing to work together on a youth mobility scheme, which would allow young people, below the age of 30, from the UK and the EU to live and work in each other’s territory for a limited period. Such a scheme would be “capped and time-limited”, according to Starmer’s office.
However, details of this programme have not been unveiled yet.
What has Starmer said about the deal?
Starmer posted a 10-point thread on his X account on Monday, underlining multiple ways the “deal with the EU will benefit Britain”. He claimed the deal will lower food prices by easing agricultural trade with the EU; bring down energy bills; strengthen border security; reduce waiting times at airports; ensure a “more secure Britain” with more jobs in the defence industry; save UK businesses from carbon taxes; save the UK steel industry; and combat terrorism and organised crime due to intelligence sharing.
“We rolled up our sleeves to deliver what the last government couldn’t,” wrote Starmer.
What are the reactions to the deal?
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch voiced concerns about the deal in an X post, specifically hitting out at the extended period for which EU fishing ships will have access to British waters. “We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again. And with no details on any cap or time limits on Youth Mobility, fears of free movement returning will only increase. This is very concerning.”
12 years access to British waters is three times longer than the govt wanted.
We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again.
And with no details on any cap or time limits on Youth Mobility, fears of free movement returning will only increase.
This is very concerning. https://t.co/QzocW3QOwU
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 19, 2025
Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, posted on X about the deal, saying: “If true that will be the end of the fishing industry.”
If true that will be the end of the fishing industry. https://t.co/jUIH7ZlCpj
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 19, 2025
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has deemed the deal “a horror show for Scottish fishermen”, according to a statement by Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the SFF. Macdonald said the new deal is “far worse than Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit agreement”, adding, “This highlights the total indifference of the British political establishment to the interests of our fishing sector.”
“Any attempt by either the UK or EU to portray the new deal as a continuation of existing arrangements would be a lie,” said the statement, published on the SFF website.
Both the Conservative Party and Reform UK have previously demanded more control for the UK over its waters. However, Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats party, called out Conservative leaders criticising the deal. “Social media this morning is a zombie apocalypse of dinosaur Tory politicians and right wing hangers-on hankering after the nasty Brexit wars of the last decade. Our country has moved on!”
Social media this morning is a zombie apocalypse of dinosaur Tory politicians and right wing hangers-on hankering after the nasty Brexit wars of the last decade. Our country has moved on!
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) May 19, 2025
