Starmer dodges fishing rights issue amid reports over UK-EU defence pact

Starmer dodges fishing rights issue amid reports over UK-EU defence pact

A senior European politician suggested member countries may try to tie other agreements to co-operation over defence.

Along with Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer assaults diplomatic and military proposals on Ukraine. But, temporarily excluded from Europe's rearmament programme and still on the steep rope to not displease Washington, London wipes some diplomatic setbacks while the skeletons linked to Brexit reappear.

UK government vows to ‘push hard’ in fisheries negotiations with EU

“There are other [EU] countries that push very hard on this, we will push equally hard,” the UK food minister said.

Starmer's Brexit reset defence pact at risk as EU insists on fish deal

Sir Keir Starmer’s hopes of clinching a defence pact with the European Union as part of his Brexit reset may be scuppered over demands it is tied to a deal on fishing.Britain has been negotiating the security deal with Brussels since last summer as part of the post-Brexit reset talks but it has made scant progress as both sides dig in on key demands. Starmer had been hoping that he could quickly reach an agreement with the EU in order to open a …

Forget the sand eels: The UK and Europe need to collaborate on defence

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) adult with sandeels in bill, Farne Islands, United Kingdom | picture alliance / BIA / NIS | Brais Seara Fernandez / BIA Sand eels are not even eels. They are long, thin fish, useful to humans only to produce fishmeal. But puffins and kittiwakes love them; and in view of these birds’ declining numbers, the UK last year imposed a ban on sand-eel fishing in its waters. The EU objected: and the issue is now in th…

A defence and security pact being drawn up between Britain and the EU will fail if Prime Minister Keir Starmer does not make concessions on fishing rights, according to a senior European politician. Countries such as France want to...