EU says it wants to reset ties with 'valuable partner' Britain

Out of the deep freeze? EU says it wants to reset ties with ‘valuable partner’ Britain after deal on Northern Ireland Brexit rules and co-operation in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine

• It comes after years of animosity between the two sides caused by Brexit 
• EU highlighted UK role in helping Ukraine fight back against Russian invasion

The EU has held out an olive branch to rebuild the frayed relationship with Britain in the wake of Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

In a joint letter the UK representatives of the bloc and its 27 nation states say that both are ‘valuable partners’ and they should build on the success of the Windsor Framework.

It comes after years of animosity between the two sides during fraught Brexit disagreements, especially under Mr Sunak’s predecessor Boris Johnson. 

Writing in the Guardian, the group of ambassadors led by EU representative Pedro Serrano also highlight the UK’s leading role in helping Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion.

‘One could say that, after Brexit, the EU and the UK have rediscovered each other, and the strong ties that unite them, in their defence of Ukraine and of peace in Europe,’ they wrote.

In a joint letter the UK representatives of the bloc and its 27 nation states say that both are ‘valuable partners’ and they should build on the success of the Windsor Framework agreed by Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen in February (pictured)

Writing in the Guardian, the group of ambassadors led by EU representative Pedro Serrano (pictured meeting Charles III) also highlight the UK’s leading role in helping Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion.

Relations between the two sides have warmed under Mr Sunak. His immediate predecessor, Liz Truss, had made headlines when she questioned whether France’s Emmanuel Macron was ‘friend or foe’ during her leadership campaign last summer.  

But Mr Sunak put on a united front with Ursula von der Leyen in February when they unveiled the Windsor Framework. And the two sides have been at pains to tone down the antagonistic approach of old. 

In their article the EU ambassadors highlight the ‘pragmatic and constructive approach’ taken by ministers including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

‘For the EU, a main goal has been to find joint solutions to the challenges Brexit has created for the Good Friday agreement,’ they wrote.

‘Continued work with the UK has succeeded, in the spirit of that landmark agreement, to find collective and, at times, imaginative solutions listening to, and respecting, all communities in Northern Ireland. 

‘Rediscovery of common interests and concerns have led to the Windsor framework and to a much welcome and necessary regain in trust in EU-UK relations. The task ahead is therefore to build on this reengagement.

‘It is to our mutual advantage that we have solid relations between our societies, our business and academic communities, and the need to ensure they continue engaging with and enriching each other in a mutually profitable and respectful manner. A strong UK and a strong EU are valuable partners.’

It came as the SNP warned it would ‘undo Brexit as far as possible’ if the next general election results in a hung parliament.

Analysis of England’s local authority election results indicates Labour could fall short of a majority in the Commons when the UK next goes to the polls.

SNP EU accession spokesman Alyn Smyth said his party would demand the UK has a close relationship with EU, in negotiations with a minority Labour government.

He said ahead of seeking to row back on Brexit, the SNP’s key demands for the relationship between the UK and the EU would be to secure single market membership and restore free movement.

The SNP is one of the only major parties to support rejoining the EU, as Labour has ruled out any Brexit reversal and the Liberal Democrats have dropped calls for a rerun of the EU referendum.

The vast majority of Scots believe the UK Government is handling Brexit badly, according the latest YouGov poll on May 1 which found 84 per cent of Scots and 67 per cent of people across the UK think this.

But Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said: ‘This is a desperate bid for relevance from an out of touch and scandal-hit party.

‘Yet again the SNP is trying to talk up the Tories because they are terrified of a Labour government.

‘Only Labour can fix the mess the Tories have made of Brexit and build a stronger trading relationship with Europe.

‘At the next election we will be focused on booting the Tories out of Downing Street and delivering the change our country desperately needs.

‘Labour will not do any deals with the SNP under any circumstances and it is Tory fantasy politics to pretend otherwise.’

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