Britain seeks better ties with EU, but faces resistance from far-right
Published: 14 May. 2025, 00:04
Ahn Byeong-eok
The author is a professor of Military and Defense Studies, Daegu University
The Strait of Dover is the shortest route connecting Britain and France — just 34 kilometers separate Dover and Calais. Passenger ferries cross the channel more than 20 times a day, making the journey in under 90 minutes. The waterway remains unchanged since the Brexit vote on June 23, 2016, but the relationship between Britain and the European Union has turned cold.
A shift began last July when the Labour Party ended 14 years of Conservative rule and committed to repairing ties with the EU. Escalating trade tensions under the Trump administration, including the onset of tariff wars, added urgency to London’s efforts. Yet domestic political conditions are complicating that reset. Right-wing, anti-EU forces such as the Reform UK party are gaining ground and tightening constraints on the government.
![British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 27 in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/14/c412d0bf-9c3a-4f01-ab7b-1d1e6b23582b.jpg)
On May 19, London is set to host the first Britain-EU summit since Brexit. Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office last year, agreed with Brussels to hold annual summits as part of an effort to rebuild diplomatic and economic bridges. The EU remains Britain’s largest trading partner, accounting for roughly half of its overall trade. Restoring cooperation is essential to reinvigorating the British economy.
The summit is expected to yield a bilateral security agreement, which includes continued support for Ukraine, coordinated climate action, and a unified approach to curbing illegal migration. A joint pledge to uphold free trade is also anticipated in the summit statement — a message aimed squarely at the Trump administration’s return to protectionism.
While the Conservative and Reform UK parties, both of which backed Brexit, may not oppose the security pact, the pace of trade normalization is proving more contentious. Labour, which prioritizes economic recovery, faces criticism for failing to move quickly enough. Trade volumes with the EU dropped sharply after the Brexit referendum in 2016, exacerbated by years of uncertainty. As of late 2023, Britain’s trade levels remained more than 10 percentage points below 2016 figures — worse than even recession-hit Germany and the lowest among Group of 7 nations. Britain has not compensated for lost EU trade through increased engagement with other markets.
![British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leads a roundtable discussion at the Border Security Summit in London, March 31. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/14/7e68cf38-8c83-4b2f-8546-fc94f13a3c3e.jpg)
According to the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, simply eliminating sanitary and phytosanitary checks could increase agricultural exports to the EU by 1 to 2 percent and raise GDP by up to 0.5 percentage points. The EU accounts for 41 percent of Britain’s agricultural exports, but since Brexit, British firms have been burdened with customs declarations and inspection costs. Removing these barriers could significantly boost exports. London is also seeking to link its carbon emissions trading scheme to the EU’s to reduce compliance costs for exporters. In exchange, however, Brussels is expected to demand concessions — particularly on fisheries.
Under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, member states are allowed to fish within 12 nautical miles of each other’s coasts. When Britain exited the bloc, it agreed under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to maintain open access to its fishing grounds until June 30, 2026. Any further market access or regulatory alignment would likely require Britain to extend those rights, a point of contention for France, Denmark and other member states reliant on British waters.
Adding to the complexity, the EU has made it clear that increased market access depends on Britain accepting jurisdiction from the European Court of Justice over relevant disputes. This is a red line for hard-line Brexiteers, making any compromise politically risky for Starmer’s government.
Public sentiment has shifted over the past two years, with polls consistently showing that more than 20 percent of the electorate now view Brexit as a mistake. Labour, which needs to frame its EU engagement as economically essential and strategically prudent, still faces political headwinds. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, who once championed a “no-deal Brexit,” scored a major victory in local elections on May 1 and overtook Labour in national polling as of February.
The Reform UK party strongly opposes renewed ties with the EU and calls for a freeze on immigration. In response, the Conservative Party has tacked further right in an effort to reclaim voters lost to Reform UK. Both parties are now dominated by Brexit hard-liners who paint Labour’s outreach to Brussels as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum. As a result, Starmer’s room for maneuver has narrowed considerably.
A recent trade deal with the United States has done little to offset Britain’s losses. Before the return of Donald Trump to the White House, Britain had projected economic growth of up to 2 percent this year. That forecast has since dropped to around 1 percent due to renewed trade hostilities. While London and Washington announced a tentative trade agreement on May 8, uncertainty remains high.
![Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during a visit to The Big Club in Newton Aycliffe, Britain, on May 2. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/14/527965fb-8442-4cf7-bb48-e6cc142259ce.jpg)
The agreement is largely symbolic. The United States agreed to reduce tariffs on up to 100,000 British-made vehicles annually from 25 to 10 percent and to lift 25 percent tariffs on British steel and aluminum. In return, Britain opened its market to U.S. ethanol, beef and other agricultural products. However, the 10 percent reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States on all trade partners remain in place.
Despite being the first country to reach a deal with Washington under the revived tariff regime, the economic benefits for Britain are minimal. Britain’s trade with the EU is still 2.6 times greater than its trade with the United States. Deepening EU ties is more likely to spur long-term economic growth.
In a May 9 editorial, the Financial Times urged the British government to prioritize its relationship with the EU, noting that while the U.S. deal may be better than nothing, its impact on the economy is limited. The paper called for a proactive reset of relations with Brussels.
Labour now faces a clear dilemma. Political calculations suggest caution, but economic logic demands action. If the party continues to delay, the opportunity to rebuild Britain’s relationship with the EU — and to recover economically — may slip away.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
The author is a professor of Military and Defense Studies, Daegu University
The Strait of Dover is the shortest route connecting Britain and France — just 34 kilometers separate Dover and Calais. Passenger ferries cross the channel more than 20 times a day, making the journey in under 90 minutes. The waterway remains unchanged since the Brexit vote on June 23, 2016, but the relationship between Britain and the European Union has turned cold.
A shift began last July when the Labour Party ended 14 years of Conservative rule and committed to repairing ties with the EU. Escalating trade tensions under the Trump administration, including the onset of tariff wars, added urgency to London’s efforts. Yet domestic political conditions are complicating that reset. Right-wing, anti-EU forces such as the Reform UK party are gaining ground and tightening constraints on the government.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on Feb. 27 in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]
The summit is expected to yield a bilateral security agreement, which includes continued support for Ukraine, coordinated climate action, and a unified approach to curbing illegal migration. A joint pledge to uphold free trade is also anticipated in the summit statement — a message aimed squarely at the Trump administration’s return to protectionism.
While the Conservative and Reform UK parties, both of which backed Brexit, may not oppose the security pact, the pace of trade normalization is proving more contentious. Labour, which prioritizes economic recovery, faces criticism for failing to move quickly enough. Trade volumes with the EU dropped sharply after the Brexit referendum in 2016, exacerbated by years of uncertainty. As of late 2023, Britain’s trade levels remained more than 10 percentage points below 2016 figures — worse than even recession-hit Germany and the lowest among Group of 7 nations. Britain has not compensated for lost EU trade through increased engagement with other markets.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leads a roundtable discussion at the Border Security Summit in London, March 31. [AP/YONHAP]
Under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, member states are allowed to fish within 12 nautical miles of each other’s coasts. When Britain exited the bloc, it agreed under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to maintain open access to its fishing grounds until June 30, 2026. Any further market access or regulatory alignment would likely require Britain to extend those rights, a point of contention for France, Denmark and other member states reliant on British waters.
Adding to the complexity, the EU has made it clear that increased market access depends on Britain accepting jurisdiction from the European Court of Justice over relevant disputes. This is a red line for hard-line Brexiteers, making any compromise politically risky for Starmer’s government.
Public sentiment has shifted over the past two years, with polls consistently showing that more than 20 percent of the electorate now view Brexit as a mistake. Labour, which needs to frame its EU engagement as economically essential and strategically prudent, still faces political headwinds. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, who once championed a “no-deal Brexit,” scored a major victory in local elections on May 1 and overtook Labour in national polling as of February.
The Reform UK party strongly opposes renewed ties with the EU and calls for a freeze on immigration. In response, the Conservative Party has tacked further right in an effort to reclaim voters lost to Reform UK. Both parties are now dominated by Brexit hard-liners who paint Labour’s outreach to Brussels as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum. As a result, Starmer’s room for maneuver has narrowed considerably.
A recent trade deal with the United States has done little to offset Britain’s losses. Before the return of Donald Trump to the White House, Britain had projected economic growth of up to 2 percent this year. That forecast has since dropped to around 1 percent due to renewed trade hostilities. While London and Washington announced a tentative trade agreement on May 8, uncertainty remains high.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during a visit to The Big Club in Newton Aycliffe, Britain, on May 2. [AP/YONHAP]
Despite being the first country to reach a deal with Washington under the revived tariff regime, the economic benefits for Britain are minimal. Britain’s trade with the EU is still 2.6 times greater than its trade with the United States. Deepening EU ties is more likely to spur long-term economic growth.
In a May 9 editorial, the Financial Times urged the British government to prioritize its relationship with the EU, noting that while the U.S. deal may be better than nothing, its impact on the economy is limited. The paper called for a proactive reset of relations with Brussels.
Labour now faces a clear dilemma. Political calculations suggest caution, but economic logic demands action. If the party continues to delay, the opportunity to rebuild Britain’s relationship with the EU — and to recover economically — may slip away.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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