Brexit ‘reset’ or Brexit surrender? Keir Starmer ‘bows to French demands on fishing and food standards to get defence and security deal with EU’

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

Published: 09:13 BST, 22 April 2025 | Updated: 09:14 BST, 22 April 2025

Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly ready to allow France and other EU nations to maintain post-Brexit fishing rights in UK waters so British defence firms can sell weapons to member states.

The Prime Minister is said to be ready cut a deal allowing companies like BAE Systems and Babcock to bid for contracts under the €150billion Security Action for Europe (Safe) programme.

Paris and other nations with large fishing fleets had been blocking the UK from joining the security pact as a non-EU state without concessions on marine harvesting, to the bemusement of Brussels officials.

But The Times reported today that the PM is prepared to offer a multi-year deal on quotas as a way of gaining access to European nations rebuilding their militaries under his ‘reset’ with Brussels.

UK defence exports are worth more than eight times the value of fish sales, at some £14.5billion in 2023.  

The PM is also prepared to align food standards with the EU to ease bottlenecks at Dover caused by inspections.

An EU diplomat told the paper: ‘The British are making the concessions they need to.

‘That is positive and shows a maturity that was not there in the Brexit negotiations.’ 

The Prime Minister is said to be ready cut a deal allowing companies like BAE Systems and Babcock to bit for contracts under the €150billion Security Action for Europe (Safe) programme.

But The Times reported today that the PM is prepared to offer a multi-year deal on fish quotas as a way of gaining access to European nations rebuilding their militaries.

UK defence exports are worth more than eight times the value of fish sales, at some £14.5billion in 2023.

Earlier this month the European Union’s top foreign affairs official mocked France for using fish to block UK involvement in the security pact in the face of the threat from Russia.

Kaja Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia, appeared to criticise the Macron government, telling the BBC she was ‘surprised how important fish are, considering the security situation’.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme she said: ‘I’m definitely pushing this from my side because I think the UK is a very important defence and security partner, it’s the most logical defence and security partner that we have and it is a beneficial relationship for both sides.’

And laughing, she added: ‘I’m learning in this job … fish to the French they are very important.’

Sir Keir will aim to strengthen the UK’s defence ties with New Zealand as he hosts the country’s prime minister today.

He and his counterpart, Christopher Luxon, are expected to visit a military base to see British and Kiwi personnel train Ukrainian troops as part of the UK’s Operation Interflex.

More than 54,000 Ukrainians have already received training under Operation Interflex, and Mr Luxon is expected to confirm on Tuesday that New Zealand will extend its support for the programme to the end of the year.

In a further show of support for Ukraine, Sir Keir is expected to announce a deal worth £30 million for drones produced by SYOS Aerospace, a New Zealand company with a factory in Hampshire.

Kaja Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia, appeared to criticse the Macron government, which is insisting that a British pact with Brussels to help counter Russian aggression is linked to seafood quotas.

Paris is refusing to engage on the security pact unless Britain meets EU demands over fishing rights.

Drones have become increasingly important over the course of the war in Ukraine, and now account for more battlefield casualties than artillery.

The pair will also instruct their respective defence ministers to begin work on a new defence partnership between the UK and New Zealand, replacing the one signed in 2015.

The UK and New Zealand already have long-standing defence links, with both nations belonging to the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network and the Royal New Zealand Navy providing a frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, for the UK carrier strike group due to set sail for the Indian Ocean from Portsmouth on Tuesday.

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Brexit ‘reset’ or Brexit surrender? Keir Starmer ‘bows to French demands on fishing and food standards to get defence and security deal with EU’

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