Britain poised to reset trade and defence ties with EU

19/5/2025 19:33

Britain is poised to agree the most significant reset of ties with the European Union since Brexit on Monday, seeking closer collaboration on trade and defence to help grow the economy and boost security on the continent.



Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who backed remaining in the EU, has made a bet that securing tangible benefits for Britons will outweigh any talk of "Brexit betrayal" from critics like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage when he agrees closer EU alignment at a summit in London.



Starmer will argue that the world has changed since Britain left the bloc in 2020, and at the heart of the new reset will be a defence and security pact that could pave the way for British defence companies to take part in a 150 billion euros ($167 billion) programme to rearm Europe.



Talks on the reset continued through the night and three people briefed on the talks said a breakthrough was secured ahead of Starmer's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Monday.



EU ambassadors were meeting in Brussels to approve it.