UK and EU agree 'strategic partnership' including food and steel exports
Published: 07:55 19 May 2025 EDT
The UK has agreed a new "strategic partnership" with the European Union as Keir Starmer looks to improve the trade relationship with Brussels.
In the first official UK-EU summit since Brexit in 2016, a joint statement said the UK-EU Strategic Partnership aims to enhance cooperation in various areas, including security, defence, economic stability, climate change and migration.
Agricultural and food pacts formed a key part of the deal, removing border checks on many food and drink exports from the UK into the continent, including some routine checks on animal and plant products, in return for the UK accepting alignment on relevant EU food standards.
This will make food cheaper for households, Downing Street said, while overall the deal will add £9 billion to the UK economy.
Some UK food products, such as some burgers and sausages that had been prevented from being sold in the EU in recent years, will now be able to be exported for the first time since Brexit.
The deal did not include access for UK defence companies to the EU’s €150 billion defence fund – though the Guardian reported that the deal would "pave the way" for this access to be agreed soon.
Other details in the deal included protection for steel exports and allowing British holidaymakers to use European gates at airports and other EU borders.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to existing agreements, including the withdrawal agreement and the trade and cooperation agreements signed as part of Brexit.
The statement emphasised the two sides' support for Ukraine, pledging continued assistance.
The need for regular high-level meetings and dialogues to maintain and enhance UK-EU relations was also highlighted, with continued engagement in regular high-level discussions, including semi-annual foreign and security policy dialogues.
