Good morning,
Keir Starmer’s Labour government is little loved by its dwindling band of supporters, let alone most of the great British public. Sir Keir has decided that his fightback will start with a so-called ‘Brexit Reset’ bill that pulls the UK closer to Europe.
It’s not nearly as brave as it sounds. A bill that means closer trade and diplomatic relations with the EU is giving people what they want. In poll after poll, a majority of Brits regard Brexit as a mistake. Almost all of the trade deals that the UK has cut with other countries are nearly identical to the EU’s own trade pacts.
Some ministers have started to say that leaving the EU is part of the cause of the UK’s economic woes, a taboo ever since the June 2016 referendum.
Though the bill has not yet been published, it looks like a customs union in all but name. The UK will align its regulations on pretty much everything except for financial services, still the biggest single contributor to UK PLC. The irony is that the London’s lobby was probably the single most influential group in drafting the raft of financial services regulation covering everything from capital requirements to insurance and private equity following the 2008 crash.
That might sound strange to Europeans since Starmer has a hefty 160-seat parliamentary majority. But his Labour party wasn’t exactly popular when it won the 2024 election. 18 months on, Starmer’s party languishes on about 20 percent in the polls, around ten points behind Nigel Farage’s Reform, and there is frenzied speculation that Starmer won’t be prime minister in a year’s time.
That may explain why the EU has demanded a ‘Farage clause’ to provide guarantees that a Reform-led government will pay for the cost of re-introducing infrastructure and border checks on goods and farm produce.
In truth, the predictions of Starmer’s imminent demise and Farage as prime minister will probably both be proved wrong. The Labour party has never knifed a leader who won it an election, and the last party to break the two-party grip on British politics was Labour itself just over 100 years ago.
More likely is that the Brexit reset bill will pass into law despite some confected outrage and cries of ‘betrayal’ from Farage and the eurosceptic press. And EU-UK relations will continue their painstaking return to normality.
Advert
EUobserver relies on subscriptions to hold the EU to account – if you're not already, do consider becoming a supporting member here.
Opinion
The case for putting a European military presence in Greenland
A multinational European contingent, rotating and modest in size, would internationalise the security of Greenland. Any hostile act would no longer be a bilateral issue between Copenhagen and Washington, but an incident involving several European states. This would not be a force designed to fight the United States, nor a step towards militarising the Arctic.
What else you need to know
Cyprus presidency, Mercosur signing and cybersecurity update This WEEK
This week, the European Commission visits Nicosia to help launch Cyprus' EU Council presidency, signs the Mercosur deal, and updates cybersecurity and anti-racism strategies. While transatlantic tensions over Greenland continue, housing plans and budget scrutiny will also dominate Brussels meetings with commissioners.Read on »
Oreshnik missile was Putin 'warning' against EU action in Ukraine
Russia's Oreshnik missile strike near Poland was a "warning" amid plans for European troops in Ukraine, but Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni still want to talk to Vladimir Putin. Read on »
Musk’s Grok now restricts X's image generation bot — to users paying €9.39
The ability to use xAI’s chatbot, Grok, to edit images on X has now been restricted to only paying users of the social media platform. The change happens as regulators around the world have turned their fire on the chatbot, which has generated thousands of sexualised non-consensual deepfakes over recent weeks. Read on »
Advert
EU-Mercosur trade deal gets green light despite French opposition
The EU’s trade agreement with Mercosur, a bloc of six South American countries, was finally given the green light following a vote by ambassadors in Brussels on Friday — despite continued opposition from France. Read on »
EU housing costs kept climbing in late 2025
Housing costs across the EU kept climbing in late 2025, new Eurostat figures show, with prices up 63 percent over the past decade, and rents 21 percent higher.Read on »
What's behind US attacks on EU tech rules? National security and AI weaponsInterview
The Trump administration has gone to war against the EU’s tech regulations, deriding them as censorship and free-speech infringements. But Michael Keary, an International relations and EU policy scholar, explains to EUobserver how the US actually sees this conflict as a national security issue.Read on »
The case for putting a European military presence in GreenlandOpinion
A multinational European contingent, rotating and modest in size, would internationalise the security of Greenland. Any hostile act would no longer be a bilateral issue between Copenhagen and Washington, but an incident involving several European states. This would not be a force designed to fight the United States, nor a step towards militarising the Arctic.Read on »
In case you missed it
How Big Tech's revolving doors erode EU antitrust lawsOpinion
A few weeks ago, yet another EU competition official joined a law firm to work for clients facing antitrust investigations. DG Competition's spinning revolving door is putting the integrity of the EU’s competition policy at severe risk.Read on »
94 days to election: Hungarian government brands opposition's Magyar 'mentally ill'Newsletter
Journalist Veronika Munk reviews Hungary’s political developments on the road to the April election, from campaign infighting and Viktor Orbán’s press limits to new Budapest candidates, the Beneš decrees row with Slovakia, the government's U-turn on Venezuela, and the death of Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr.Read on »
Listen: Is living in rural Europe a retreat or a reinvention?Podcast
In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Evi Kiorri explores what life is really like far from the cities, speaking with Emanuele Monaco, who left urban life to build a distillery in rural Puglia, Italy. Read on »
Grok's illegal online content — what does EU law say?Explainer
Chatbot Grok recently generated sexual content on Elon Musk's X that appears to be illegal, raising fresh questions about how EU law applies. With the Digital Services Act and the AI Act in force, here’s what the rules and potential penalties mean for platforms and AI services operating in the EU.Read on »
Bolshoi-loving banker threatened Euroclear CEO, amid EU talks on Russian assetsInvestigation
A French banker inside Euroclear, who flew to Russia 155 times for "private" reasons, allegedly tried to connect the company's CEO, Valérie Urbain, with Russian spies and threatened her when she declined, according to an investigation by EUobserver, Humo, De Morgen, and Dossier Center.Read on »
EU planning 20th Russia sanctions for fourth anniversary of war
The EU is aiming to impose a 20th round of Russia sanctions on the fourth anniversary of the full invasion of Ukraine, on 24 February — despite the US-led ceasefire talks. Read on »
EU warns Israel’s suspension of 37 aid groups risks blocking life-saving aid
The EU has warned that Israel’s decision to suspend dozens of international aid organisations in Gaza risks cutting off life-saving assistance as winter conditions and displacement deepen the humanitarian crisis.Read on »
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten