Starmer’s post-Brexit EU reset ‘lacks direction’, MPs said

Sir Keir Starmer’s EU reset lacks direction, MPs have said, as they urged the Government to end its “secrecy” over what it wants from its relationship with the bloc.

A lack of clear strategic priorities from the UK side have given the impression that the EU has achieved more progress in the negotiations, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said a in a report released on Wednesday.

It said the Government failed to present a coherent roadmap at last year’s Lancaster House summit with the EU, and is at risk of making the same mistake ahead of this year’s follow-up event.

The Prime Minister should set out his vision for the UK relationship with the EU in a white paper and set up a new Commons EU scrutiny committee, the committee said.

Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry said the reset marked a “major step change” in government policy and praised its “positive effects”.

But she added: “Sadly, we found that despite progress in some areas, the Government’s reset is languishing, suffering from a lack of direction, definition and drive.

“It feels as though we are on a journey with no clear destination.

“In many areas, the Government has failed to provide timelines, milestones, or priorities and it does not appear to have an ambitious, strategic vision for the UK’s new relationship with the EU.”

She urged both sides to focus on the “bigger picture”, while criticising the EU for “changing the goalposts” when it comes to asking for the UK to make financial contributions to the bloc.

Talks aimed at the UK potentially joining the European Union’s new 150 billion euro (£130 billion) Security Action for Europe (Safe) rearmament fund broke down at the end of last year, but Sir Keir has suggested he still wants to work more closely with the EU on defence.

“The exorbitant price tag for the UK’s participation in the first round of the Safe programme is short-sighted, particularly given the threat from Putin’s Russia,” Dame Emily said.

But she also said the UK Government must go beyond work to “identify the problem and vaguely call for more ‘alignment’”.

She said: “We need to work towards concrete, practical and deliverable solutions in tandem with our EU partners.

“Today’s report calls on Government to end its secrecy over EU matters, and set out exactly what it plans to do in the next phase of negotiations in a white paper.

“Government should also be willing to subject its plans to proper parliamentary scrutiny and facilitate the establishment of a new EU scrutiny committee in the Commons.”

Sir Keir has been seeking closer ties with the bloc since he came into office in July 2024, as part of a post-Brexit “reset”, and clinched an initial deal last May with agreements that included giving UK tourists more access to e-gates at European airports.

In February, Britain and the EU announced they were aiming to finalise negotiations on a youth mobility scheme in time for another joint summit later this year.

They also want to secure a common sanitary and phytosanitary area – which would apply to the movement of plants and food – and agree on a way to link their emissions trading systems by that time.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best For Britain, which campaigns for closer UK-EU ties, said: “The UK-EU relationship under this Government has shown welcome improvement – from what was a depressingly low bar – but it’s essential that it progresses at pace.

“Nothing will move the dial on economic growth like deeper alignment across all industrial and service sectors, and with two wars raging to the east, it’s imperative both Britain and Brussels realise our defence and security is a collective endeavour.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Our priorities are clear: working in the national interest to deliver a strategic shift in our relationship with the EU through improved diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation.

“This includes securing a landmark food and drink trade deal and the carbon linking agreement by the next UK-EU Summit that will add £9 billion a year to the UK economy.

“We are stripping away the costly bureaucracy and red tape that acts as a drag on growth, backing British jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets across the country.”