Brexit Reset Minister Sets 2027 Deadline for EU Agrifood Deal Amid Inflation Pressures

The Government has set the European Union a 2027 deadline to agree a new food and drink trade deal, with ministers arguing it is essential to lowering supermarket prices and easing pressure on inflation.

In a speech delivered yesterday, Brexit Reset Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds confirmed the Government’s ambition to finalise an agrifood agreement within 18 months. The announcement follows headline terms agreed in May between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Thomas-Symonds set out the UK’s position on aligning with EU rules for food and drink as part of a strategy to boost economic growth, protect businesses, secure jobs and reduce food prices. He told critics that this approach represented “sovereignty, exercised in the national interest”.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also published new research highlighting the significant costs currently faced by British businesses exporting food and drink to the EU, strengthening the case for regulatory alignment.

Inflationary Pressures

Inflation remains stubbornly high at 3.8 per cent and is forecast to rise to 4 per cent in September before easing. Food inflation has been a key driver, climbing to 4.2 per cent in August – the fastest pace for 18 months, according to the British Retail Consortium.

While additional costs from the Budget, including higher employer national insurance contributions, have contributed to rising prices, Morrisons chief executive Rami Baitiéh said in May that a comprehensive post-Brexit deal with the EU would ease pressures on consumers.

“Sweeping away trade barriers with the EU will remove cost, complexity and delay in food imports from the continent,” he told the BBC.

Thomas-Symonds argued that small and medium-sized businesses in particular “lack the capacity” to cope with the bureaucracy imposed by Brexit, placing them at a “competitive disadvantage” to larger firms.

As reported by i, the minister wants voters to feel the benefits of the agrifood deal ahead of the next general election, expected in 2029. He confirmed that new legislation aligning the UK with EU regulations will be introduced in the coming months.

The Government has also scrapped incoming border checks on EU fruit, vegetables and meat in anticipation of the agreement.

Criticism Over Slow Progress

Despite the announcement, the Government has faced criticism over the pace of progress. Following May’s London summit between Starmer and von der Leyen, which heralded the Brexit reset, significant elements of the agreement remain unresolved.

Liberal Democrat Europe spokesman James MacCleary said the UK should pursue a full customs union with the EU to “transform our economic relationship with Europe”.

“The Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal has held back our economy for too long, and to announce that in the next 18 months things will only get slightly better simply won’t wash. Adding insult to injury, the Government sold its recent talks as a done deal only to now admit a finalised agreement could be years away. Our farmers and food producers simply cannot wait that long.”

Thomas-Symonds also used his speech to warn against Nigel Farage’s opposition to the deal, saying Reform’s pledge to reverse it would damage British businesses and consumers.