Six biggest bombshells in Keir Starmer's EU-UK Brexit 'reset' deal

The UK and EU agreed a new Brexit deal at 2am this morning, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer due to announce details at a London summit with EU leaders today. Sir Keir will highlight measures making it easier for British travellers to enter European countries without long queues at the border, as well as a new defence agreement designed to ensure the UK and EU work closely together to deal with the threat from Russia.

However Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the deal is “very concerning” as it will give EU fishing vessels more access to UK waters, ensure the UK obeys some EU food and drink rules and includes a “youth mobility scheme” allowing younger people from EU countries to live and work in the UK. Here is what we expect to be in the deal:

The new deal is expected include:

1. EU fishing vessels will continue to have access to UK waters until 2038. Current reciprocal arrangements for fishing were due to end next year and the UK had been hoping to extend the agreement for four years - but the EU demanded a 12 year extension instead
2. The UK and EU will create a “Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area”. This means having shared rules on the movement of plants, plant products and animal products. It will make trade easier but it means the UK accepting EU rules, which will be enforced by the European Court of Justice. Tories say this will make the UK a “rule-taker”.
3. A youth-mobility scheme will give younger people from the EU and UK, probably those 30 and under, the right to live and work in each other’s countries for a limited period, maybe three years. The numbers will be capped. It seems the full details will not be published today in an attempt to ward off criticism but Brexiteers say this undermines the Government’s pledge to cut immigration.
4. The UK will rejoin the EU’s Erasmus scheme, a student exchange programme.
5. UK travellers going into Europe will be allowed to use e-gates at borders, avoiding long queues to show your passport to an official. EU travellers coming into the UK are already allowed to this at our border.
6. A new defense and security pact means the EU and UK will work more closely together on information sharing and maritime and space security. UK firms will be allowed to bid for EU defence contracts, after the EU set up a £125 billion defence fund.

The official announcement will come later today.

Mrs Badenoch condemned the deal, saying: “12 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.”

But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds insisted the deal would be “a real prize” for the UK.

He told Times Radio: “This is about making people better off, about making the country more secure, about making sure there are more jobs in the UK. And look, we’ve shown in the last few weeks this government can get these big deals across the line, whether it’s with India, whether it’s the breakthrough with the US. But the EU is an important trading partner as well. And that’s why this is an important priority for the government.”

He indicated that there could be a 45,000 cap on youth mobility schemes, but stopped short of commiting to the figure:

“I think any scheme like this, if you look at the 13 we already have, they are capped, yes. So I think the Conservative deal with Australia capped it at 45,000, but nothing like that number of visas is ever issued every year. But usually, yes, there’s something fundamentally different to what we experienced when we had freedom of movement when we were in the EU. They’re limited, they’re targeted, it’s a sort of smart system. It’s not the kind of access people had when we were members of the European Union.”