Eleventh hour negotiations, almost very literally, have finally produced a reset deal with the EU, one which takes several steps in the right direction. Starmer’s government must be praised for this; securing a better EU deal than the Conservatives ever could, alongside deals with India and the US. But, these are only steps in the right direction, hopefully the first of many, as what the UK really needs is to regain full membership of the European Union once more.
The deal
In a deal which was signed at 10:30pm on Sunday, Keir Starmer agreed a long-awaited ‘reset deal’ with the European Union. Key parts of the deal include British tourists being able to use the fast-track e-gates at more European airports, routine border checks on plant and animal products going to EU countries being scrapped and an open-ended agreement which will see the red tape slashed on food and drink imports and exports between the UK and the EU. Other key points include the ability of cat and dog owners being able to re-join the EU passport scheme, a 12-year extension to an agreement allowing EU trawlers access to British waters and a new defence agreement.
The good
This is good, it’s all good. Being able to use the fast-track e-gates means no more lengthy queues for Brits in European airports. The routine checks on plant and animal products being scrapped means British products like burgers and sausages will be allowed to be sold into the EU for the first time since Brexit took effect. The EU pet passport scheme makes it easier for people with pets to travel across member states without requiring vet certificates each time.
The fishing deal also saw the extension of part of the 2020 Brexit deal which saw Britain regain 25% of the EU’s fishing quotas, something that was due to run out next year.
Officials claim the deal will boost Britain’s economy by £9billion by 2040.
Britain can do better
All of this and more, including deals on carbon and energy are great. They are, however, only a handful steps in the right direction.
The youth mobility scheme that would see the youth of Britain and the EU travel freely across each other’s borders is still subject to further negotiations. Young people’s futures would be “capped and time-limited” according to the government. Why not just agree to the scheme indefinitely and remove the barriers to opportunities and travel that British young people are facing thanks to Brexit. And, of course, we can’t forget the elephant in the room. Any ‘reset deal’ negotiated by the government will pale in comparison to the best deal we ever had, the one prior to 2020 – the deal we had as members of the European Union.
Keir Starmer and his government have done some great work with the EU reset deal. The Labour leader has taken a number of steps in the right direction when it comes to the UK’s relationship with the bloc. But this must only be the beginning, it can’t end here. A youth mobility scheme must be agreed. Membership of the Single Market must be agreed. Most importantly of all, however, full membership of the EU must be regained. Without it Britain and the economy will continue to suffer, despite what the “Brexit betrayal” naysayers say.
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