𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The EU has reportedly rebuffed a suggestion from UK officials that a single market with the bloc could be established as part of the next phase of the government’s “reset” of relations. A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the idea, adding that it was working to get the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) trade agreement, ETS linkage (the integration of distinct cap-and-trade carbon markets) and youth experience scheme over the line.

They said there is scope to “deepen cooperation” as regards defence, industrial cooperation, innovation funding for hi-tech industries and migration. The EU is not expecting that the British government to do a great deal as regards its relations with the continent before the Makerfield by-election in June, according to the Guardian.

A Cabinet Office spokersperson said: “We have previously confirmed that the next UK-EU summit will be held this summer. A final date will be confirmed in due course.

“We are negotiating an ambitious package of measures with the EU ahead of the summit, including a food and drink SPS deal and emissions trading deal that, alone, are set to add up to £9bn a year to the UK economy by 2040.”

It was reported on May 10 that Britian would not rejoin the EU’s single market, nor customs union, despite Sir Keir Starmer promising to be “bolder” in seeking closer ties with Brussels. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said the “red lines” set by Labour would not be changed.

It comes as a former EU ambassador to UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, admitted to the BBC this afternoon that the bloc is “maybe not as attractive today as it was a few years ago”.

Ex-European Central Bank chief, Mario Draghi, warned in 2024 that the EU faced a “slow agony” of decline.

Mr Draghi said: “The situation at the moment is really worrisome,” Draghi told a news conference in Brussels.

“Growth has been slowing down for a long time in Europe, but we’ve ignored [it]… Now we cannot ignore it any longer. Now conditions have changed.”

Mr Vale de Almeida added that the EU needs Britain to “help us prevent the decline”.

“Britain can be a source of dynamism, can be a source of innovation, as they were in the past,” he added.

In this regard, Brexit was a “big loss for the European Union as well”, Mr Vale de Almeida said, adding that the bloc will overcome its present challenges.