Mon May 19 15:19:55 UTC 2025: ## UK and EU Strike Post-Brexit Deal Amidst Controversy

**London, UK – May 19, 2025** – The United Kingdom and the European Union have announced a comprehensive post-Brexit agreement covering fisheries, trade, and security, finalized just hours before a high-level UK-EU summit hosted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. The summit, attended by senior EU officials including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, marks the first of its kind since the UK’s official exit from the EU in January 2020.

The deal aims to reset the UK-EU relationship, which has seen a 21% drop in UK exports to the EU and a 7% drop in imports since Brexit. Key components of the agreement include:

* **Fisheries:** EU boats will continue to have access to UK waters until 2038, maintaining the previously agreed 25% reduction in fishing quota from the 2020 post-Brexit deal.
* **Trade:** Simplified checks for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods, including agricultural products, food, and animals, are expected to boost the UK economy by an estimated £9 billion by 2040.
* **Security:** Enhanced intelligence sharing, including facial recognition data, will strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism and organized crime.
* **Border Control:** British travelers will be able to use e-gates at more European airports, reducing wait times at immigration.
* **Carbon Markets:** The UK and EU will link their carbon trading systems to avoid carbon taxes and promote environmental cooperation.
* **Youth Mobility:** A “capped and time-limited” youth mobility scheme is planned, allowing individuals under 30 from both sides to live and work in each other’s territories.

The deal also includes a £360 million fund to invest in coastal communities, modernizing the fishing fleet, upskilling the workforce, supporting tourism, and boosting seafood exports.

While Prime Minister Starmer hailed the agreement as a significant step forward, claiming it will lower food prices, reduce energy bills, strengthen borders, and create jobs, the deal has faced strong criticism.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch voiced concerns about the extended period of EU fishing access, suggesting the UK is becoming a “rule-taker” from Brussels. Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, warned the deal “will be the end of the fishing industry.”

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) condemned the agreement as “a horror show for Scottish fishermen,” claiming it is “far worse than Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit agreement” and highlights the British political establishment’s indifference to the fishing sector.

Despite the criticism, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey dismissed the objections as the opinions of “dinosaur Tory politicians,” asserting that the country has moved on from the Brexit wars.

The deal marks a significant development in the ongoing UK-EU relationship, but its long-term impact remains to be seen amidst continued debate and differing perspectives.

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