The EU-UK summit should be a turning point – the PM needs a plan
Keir Starmer welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to 10 Downing Street, April 2025 (Credit: Thomas Krych/Alamy)
4 min read
There are moments in politics when tides can turn – an opportunity to strike with vitality, flair, panache or risk of falling short of what the times require.
On May 19, the Prime Minister will sit down with Ursula von der Leyen in what could, and should, be a turning point in UK-EU relations. But right now, there’s no Green Paper. No roadmap. No plan. And that’s a mistake. Because the evidence is now overwhelming. If we want to kickstart British growth, the Brussels dividend is the best deal on offer.
Let me be blunt. We’re not growing fast enough. The IMF forecasts put us in the middle of the G7 pack and while the nation has proved itself a services superpower, we have to got to boost our exports of goods, which has almost flatlined since 2019. Given 41 per cent of our goods exports still go to the EU – more than the US, India, and the Indo-Pacific combined – I think we know where to look for reform: a better trade deal with our closest neighbour.
This is not about rejoining the Single Market or Customs Union. Those red lines are clear. But there’s a vast space between rupture and reintegration – a space where smart strategy, not stale ideology, can deliver for Britain.
The Business and Trade Committee, after five months of evidence, consultation, and careful deliberation, has set out 20 concrete proposals for a UK-EU reset. They’re practical. They’re popular. And they’re ready to go.
Take defence. In a more dangerous world – with Putin in Ukraine, saboteurs in the Baltic, and America edging towards isolationism – Europe must stand together. Over 90 per cent of stakeholders backed deeper defence-industrial cooperation, stronger protection of critical infrastructure, and a structured economic security dialogue. We should be working with our European allies – not around them – to safeguard the cables, grids, and data that power modern life.
Take energy. Since leaving the EU’s energy market, we’ve lost efficient trading access. National Grid tells us this is costing consumers €350m a year. And if we don’t link our carbon pricing systems soon, both British exporters and EU consumers will lose out. Stakeholders lined up in support of deeper market integration and emissions trading alignment. Why? Because it’s good for bills, good for business, and good for the planet.
The politics are often fraught. But the public mood is shifting. Business is ready
Take our goods trade. Across our consultation, 95 per cent backed proposals to slash border bureaucracy, restore trusted trader schemes, and streamline customs. This isn’t red tape. It’s a choke on British enterprise. Just ask the Northern Irish business that had to endure wholesale confiscation of its custard at the Belfast Border Control Point when it was reclassified as a dairy product overnight. A regulatory glitch. A commercial cost. A case study in the red tape gone mad
And then there’s regulation. Here, too, the message was clear: business wants clarity, not confrontation. More than 80 per cent of respondents supported a forward-looking regulatory roadmap to maximise compatible rules between the UK and EU. As one trade body put it: “Dynamic alignment is no silver bullet – but a strategic roadmap would unlock real investment.” The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders called regulatory cooperation one of their “top three policy priorities.” In other words, business doesn’t fear a smarter relationship with Europe. It’s begging for one.
And then there’s services – where Britain still leads the world. We received agreement of 96 per cent for deeper research collaboration, 88 per cent for faster recognition of qualifications, and 92 per cent for smarter digital rules. If we want to win the future, we have to remove the barriers to our brightest minds doing their best work, wherever the opportunities lie.
The new trade deals with India and the US are welcome. They will save jobs. But they will not turbocharge growth this side of the election in the way a different deal with Europe could. The politics are often fraught. But the public mood is shifting. Business is ready. The evidence is clear.
So let’s put it plainly. The summit on 19 May is not just another diplomatic diary date. It’s a moment to move from drift to direction. From patchwork fixes to a proper growth plan. From headlines to hardheaded strategy.
The Brussels dividend is real. The support is strong. The need is urgent. It’s time to act.
Liam Byrne is Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, and chair of the Business and Trade Committee
