Eleventh-hour negotiations between the UK and the European Union continued late into Sunday evening, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer prepares to host European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a pivotal UK-EU summit on Monday.
The talks, which remain without a fixed deadline, are aimed at finalising a wide-ranging deal that could include a youth mobility scheme, streamlined airport access for British travellers, and new agreements on trade, security cooperation, and post-Brexit fishing rights.
This will mark the second meeting between Starmer and von der Leyen in four days, underscoring the Labour government’s push to reset and stabilise UK-EU relations after years of post-Brexit tension.
Despite the lack of concrete details, the proposed deal has already drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage have labelled the talks a “surrender,” with Badenoch warning against “free movement through the back door” and Farage decrying a return to EU influence.
Still, the government insists the ongoing talks are rooted in national interest. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK’s Minister for UK-EU Relations and lead negotiator, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the government is acting out of “ruthless pragmatism,” focused on job creation, lower household bills, and secure borders.
“Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” Thomas-Symonds reiterated, refusing to share specifics while hinting at progress, especially around airport e-gate access and food export regulations.
“We’ve seen lorries wait 16 hours with fresh food going off due to red tape,” he said. “We want to cut those barriers to make trade work better for British businesses.”
Reports also suggest that the deal could give UK defence firms access to a €150 billion EU defence fund — a move that would deepen cross-border security ties and offer British companies a significant post-Brexit opportunity.
The prospect of a youth mobility scheme — allowing young Britons and Europeans to live and work in each other’s territories for up to two years — has emerged as a flashpoint. While Starmer insists any deal would be reciprocal, and the Liberal Democrats back a capped arrangement, critics within the right say it could erode immigration controls.
Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, called it “the thin end” of restoring EU free movement. Conservative MP Alex Burghart added that he feared the UK was becoming “a rule taker again — one of the things we specifically left behind when we left the EU.”
Fishing rights — a politically sensitive topic in the post-Brexit era — also remain unresolved, with the current deal expiring in June 2026. Conservatives have warned the government not to give up access to UK waters, calling such a move a “betrayal” of British fishermen.
Chioma Kalu
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