UK-EU reset: ‘brexit betrayal’?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As EU leaders arrive in London for a summit hosted by Keir Starmer, there has been an announcement that the UK and EU have reached a deal. The UK has extended its agreement on EU fishing boats in British waters, while in return fewer checks on British food exports are expected. There have also been discussions about a defence pact, reduced tuition fees for EU students and access to electronic passport gates for British holiday-makers.

While we await further details, deputy political editor James Heale and director of the Centre for European Reform Charles Grant join Lucy Dunn to unpack what we know so far. Will the deal be an easy sell, or does it risk being seen as a ‘brexit betrayal’? And, does it lack ambition or is it an important first step in restoring trust between two allies? Charles points out that there are important implications: on a future US trade deal; for Northern Ireland; and, in setting precedent; while James highlights the tight-rope Labour have to walk in constructing a narrative around the deal – particularly around avoiding being seen as selling out the ‘somewheres’ in favour of the ‘anywheres’.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Spectator magazine is home to wonderful writing, insightful analysis and unrivaled books and arts reviews.
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0:28.9	Thank you. Go to spectator.co.uk forward slash voucher. Hello and welcome to coffeehouse shots.
0:31.3	I'm Lisey Dunn and today I'm joined by James Hale and Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform.
0:37.0	Today is the day of the big UK-EU summit and this morning we heard news that the UK has now struck a deal with the European Union covering issues from security to immigration to fisheries.
0:46.7	James, what do we know so far about what's actually included in this deal?
0:50.3	So at the time of recording, it's 10am, we're expecting to have a press conference by Kistama at 1230 midday and then there's going to be a big slap-up lunch on the Thames.
0:58.0	But as of our understanding, so talks went on late last night.
1:01.5	And one of the key sticking points has been about fisheries rights under the Brexit deal struck with Boris Johnson.
1:08.2	The current rules governing that are due to expire next year. And the reports
1:12.6	this morning suggest that there's been a 12-year extension to that existing deal. Already you've got
1:17.1	people who've reform, you know, conservatives, etc. saying it's things like the Great Starmer sellout,
1:22.4	etc. Lots of talk about that. So that's going to be a hugely evocative topic, I think. But what we know so far is that there's going to be a deal on a few key areas, one of which is sort of potentially lifting
1:31.2	some of the restrictions on so-called sanitary and physiocentric products. Those are going to be
1:36.8	things like sort of agricultural products, etc., bringing them in and out of the European Union in the UK.
1:41.6	There's also going to be some suggestions of a defence pact
1:45.0	signed between the UK and EU, although we don't know how extensive that's going to be.
1:49.3	The key, sticking point on that, has been about this new security agreement for Europe,
1:53.7	safe, it's known as, and it's a sort of 150 billion pound defence deal, which the UK wants
2:00.2	access to, it wants its companies to be able to access
	...

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