Andy Burnham to unveil EU trade deals worth billions of pounds
Andy Burnham is preparing to announce billions of pounds in UK–EU deals spanning agriculture, youth visas, pet passports and emissions, as part of a closer relationship with Brussels. He is due to meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president António Costa in Brussels on 20 November, when the pacts are expected to be unveiled. Officials have all but agreed three texts: an agricultural deal the government puts at more than £5bn to the UK economy by 2040; access to the EU emissions trading scheme; and a “youth experience” visa scheme for tens of thousands of people under 30 to live, work and travel. Some elements would not take effect until 2028. Those close to the talks say industrial-policy rows or UK university fees will not derail the process.
Burnham said on Tuesday the package would add £17bn, or 0.4% of GDP — a figure he told the Economist “you cannot ignore.” He told ITV public opinion on Brexit had shifted nationally but he would not run ahead of it. Critics object that paying the EU for emissions-trading access, and aligning with rules Britain left to avoid, is a step backwards. The carbon deal is meant to spare the UK a cross-border carbon tax from January, at a cost of billions of pounds.
On farms and pets, UK firms and travellers would no longer need certificates to move live animals into Europe; pet passports would replace trip-by-trip paperwork. Producers could keep selling some products banned under EU law, such as certain pesticides, during a transition; trade in live molluscs and Scottish salmon would be eased. Youth-scheme quotas would be set per member state, with an emergency brake so Britain could curb arrivals if a state withheld its quota. A separate, still-unagreed EU draft joint statement on future cooperation, including industrial policy and tuition fees, calls the sides “trusted partners” — wording London hopes would open the protectionist Made in Europe scheme. The UK has been willing to spend hundreds of millions compensating universities for lower fees for European students within six months, but only if that access is granted.
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