£25bn Brexit Reset: Starmer’s EU Talks Aim for Export Windfall and Closer Ties
Updated: May 18, 2025 02:32
Image Source: The Independent
A £25bn-per-year boost to exports from the UK is the biggest prize at stake as Prime Minister Keir Starmer enters critical Brexit reboot talks with EU leaders in London this Monday. New research shows that reducing barriers to trade on goods like food, drink, and electronics could add 2.2% to UK GDP, and that could be economic growth that Starmer has pledged. The proposed deal is expected to contain trade, agriculture, security, defence, and a youth mobility scheme, which comes closest to UK-EU cooperation post-Brexit.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has called the summit a "step towards" a deeper partnership, but not an isolated event, whereas business leaders insist the deal needs to be ambitious enough to include up-and-coming growth industries like digital services. Missing out on a deal would see the UK economy in danger of missing out on nearly £30 billion by 2027, underlining the stakes for both sides.