Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Brussels on Wednesday marks his first substantial step in reshaping the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with Europe. This complex process is likely to span months, if not years, with numerous competing priorities in play.
During his visit to the Belgian capital, Starmer will meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the first time since assuming office in July. He is keen to gauge the feasibility of his proposals for a security pact and a veterinary agreement, ahead of formal negotiations expected later this year.
With Labour in power for the first time since 2010, Starmer faces the task of repairing the strained ties between the UK and the EU, a legacy of the turbulent Brexit negotiations. A sign of this effort to turn the page is the anticipated UK-EU bilateral summit, set to take place next year, according to sources familiar with the plans.
As part of this diplomatic outreach, Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to attend an EU foreign ministers meeting later this month. Alongside him, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister leading the UK’s EU negotiations, will meet counterparts in Dublin following Starmer’s Brussels visit.
While both sides are keen to embrace this renewed spirit of cooperation, their differing priorities suggest that tough negotiations lie ahead.
Starmer’s focus includes enhanced defence collaboration, easing food checks, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and a special visa for touring artists. However, the UK remains firm on its stance of not rejoining the single market or customs union.
For its part, the EU is emphasising the need to build on existing agreements. The bloc is pushing for a youth mobility pact, energy cooperation, and assurances on citizens' rights and fisheries. Germany and France are advocating for a bloc-wide deal on migration, though Starmer’s government appears more inclined towards bilateral agreements with France and Italy.
EU diplomats have acknowledged that the UK’s proposals for security and veterinary agreements are viable but expressed frustration over the lack of detail. Some member states are urging caution in moving forward with new deals, especially given Starmer’s early rejection of a proposed youth mobility arrangement allowing 18 to 30-year-olds to live in each other’s countries for up to four years.
“The UK’s main concern is that such a pact could inflate net migration figures, something Starmer has committed to reducing,” officials told Bloomberg. However, the UK is hoping the EU will revise the proposal to make it more acceptable, though any changes are unlikely to significantly shift the dial.
“I know that it raises questions and concerns, and some people mix it up with migration-related issues or mobility-related issues,” Pedro Serrano, the EU Ambassador to the UK, told Times Radio last week. “But it has nothing to do with any of that. This is about ensuring that our youth continues to get together to know each other.”
Despite Starmer stating last week that the UK has “no plans” for such a deal, sources close to the matter say the government is willing to explore the idea as part of broader UK-EU negotiations.
Formal talks are expected to begin in December or January, once the EU’s new commission is in place. Both UK and EU diplomats view 2025 as the critical window for finalising these agreements and caution that if progress isn’t made, the momentum gained under the new UK administration could be lost.
“We will only be able to tackle these challenges by putting our collective weight behind them, which is why I am so determined to put the Brexit years behind us and establish a more pragmatic and mature relationship with the European Union,” Starmer said in a statement on Tuesday. “Better co-operation with the EU will deliver the benefits the British people deserve: securing our borders, keeping us safe and boosting economic growth.”
Starmer is also expected to raise concerns about the EU’s upcoming biometric data-sharing system, which is set to launch in November. The UK is particularly anxious about the potential for border delays during the busy Armistice Day period, when travel between Britain and France is expected to spike. Starmer’s administration is seeking reassurances from the EU on the preparedness of its member states or, failing that, a further delay to the system’s rollout.
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