The United Kingdom and the European Union have reached a wide-ranging agreement aimed at expanding cooperation across key areas such as defense, energy, migration, law enforcement, and youth mobility — a deal that critics argue is a flagrant rowback on Brexit.
Announced following the U.K.–EU summit on Monday, the so-called Common Understanding outlines both sides’ intention to build on existing post-Brexit frameworks, including the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
While the agreement does not constitute a new treaty, it signals a shift toward closer integration in several sectors that effectively bring the U.K. back into alignment with EU rules and institutions, undermining national sovereignty.
The agreement reconfirms reciprocal access to fishing waters until June 2038 and extends bilateral cooperation on energy. It also launches a new Security and Defense Partnership covering topics such as support for Ukraine, cyber defense, military mobility, peacekeeping, and space security. Dialogue is also planned in areas like maritime safety and international disaster response.
Access to fishing waters has been a bone of contention since the 2016 Brexit vote and is seen as a major concession by the U.K. Ahead of the news breaking, rumors had been swirling in Westminster that fishing rights were on the table, leading Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to warn, “If true, that will be the end of the fishing industry.”
Starmer has surrendered to Brussels.
Labour can’t be trusted with their weak leadership. pic.twitter.com/Fl2j7kgyPe
— Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) May 19, 2025
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch also remarked, “Twelve years’ access to British waters is three times longer than the government wanted. We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again. And with no details on any cap or time limits on Youth Mobility, fears of free movement returning will only increase. This is very concerning.”
The new mobility framework proposed is for young people, allowing limited-duration travel between the U.K. and EU for work, study, volunteering, and other cultural purposes. In parallel, the U.K. and EU will begin discussions about associating the UK with the EU’s Erasmus+ program, including negotiation over financial terms. These discussions are framed as promoting “people-to-people” ties, especially among younger generations.
Why would a Labour Brexit deal be hard to agree?
Usually when two sides negotiate, they have different priorities & aims.
With Keir Starmer’s negotiations with the EU, both sides have exactly the SAME priorities and aim: the total surrender of British sovereignty to Brussels. pic.twitter.com/zpIB2gUwDN
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) May 19, 2025
In the area of internal security, both sides committed to strengthening cooperation under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. This includes information-sharing with Europol, improved coordination on terrorism and serious crime, and the potential expansion of biometric and vehicle data exchange. There is also intent to address difficulties faced by law enforcement in accessing electronic communications data across jurisdictions.
In economic and environmental matters, the agreement outlines plans to explore U.K. participation in the EU’s internal electricity market and to establish a link between the U.K. and EU emissions trading systems. Both initiatives would require the U.K. to align with EU rules in relevant areas, such as state aid, environmental protections, and trading mechanisms. This alignment would be monitored through dispute mechanisms, with the European Court of Justice acting as the final authority on EU law. The move effectively reintroduces the ECJ as the supreme arbiter in such areas.
This has been an amateur negotiation from the start, ending in a total sellout. pic.twitter.com/BwbhqiiGWE
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) May 19, 2025
On agri-food trade, the two sides agreed to work toward a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement that would remove many current barriers to the movement of animals and plants between Great Britain and the EU. However, this too would involve dynamic alignment with EU regulations and limited exceptions subject to EU approval. The agreement specifies that the U.K. would be consulted during the EU policy-making process but would have no vote or participation in formal decision-making bodies. Again, issues of sovereignty arise, with the United Kingdom signing up to align with regulations without having a seat at the table.
The deal also includes plans to deepen cooperation on illegal migration. Areas of focus include upstream control efforts, information-sharing on visa abuse and migrant smuggling, and coordination with EU agencies such as Frontex and the EU Agency for Asylum. Practical measures to prevent Channel crossings and improve return mechanisms are also under discussion.
Though the agreement repeatedly emphasizes mutual benefit and respect for each side’s legal framework, many of its proposals rely on U.K. adherence to EU rules and oversight structures. The European Commission is explicit in its expectation that the U.K. will align dynamically with changing EU legislation in areas covered by the agreements, while contributing financially to relevant EU programs and databases.
Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman called the deal a surrender. “The government has let down our fishing community. This capitulation is unforgivable for our coastal communities and fishermen. The British people won’t forget this. The beginning of the end for Brexit.”
Starmer, however, took to social media to defend the deal, telling Brits they “deserve better than the last government’s deal. It wasn’t working for anyone.”
He claimed that while previous governments had “dithered and delayed,” his was “getting on with the job and delivering in the national interest.”
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