UK politics live: Minister gives verdict on rejoining EU after ‘win-win’ Brexit reset deal

The deal between the UK and EU provides “12 years of certainty and stability” for fishermen, the Scottish Secretary has said.

The agreement – announced on Monday in London – was hailed by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer as a “win-win” for both the UK and the bloc.

He said it would create a “youth experience scheme” for young Britons to study and live in Europe, along with improving trade and allowing British travellers to use passport e-gates on the continent.

But British fishermen have hit out at the deal, which allows a further 12 years of access to UK waters for boats from the EU, with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) describing it as a “horror show”.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “I don’t agree with that.

“It gives 12 years of certainty and stability for the industry, it doesn’t change any of the deal that was put in place in 2019, which is 25 per cent more quotas for UK and Scottish trawlers and it gives wide access, of course to the new markets of the EU, in terms of pushing away all that red tape that was there before.

“Not one more fish will be taken out of Scottish waters by an EU trawler as part of this deal and that provides that stability and certainty.”

By Kate Devlin, Whitehall Editor

The chancellor has opened the door to a U-turn on one of her first acts in office – the decision to strip the winter fuel payment from 10 million pensioners.

Rachel Reeves has said she is “listening” to calls for changes that would see fewer people hit.

The issue was a key complaint on the doorstep in this month’s disastrous Runcorn by-election, in which Labour lost what should have been a safe seat to Reform.

Polling of voters carried out by No 10 show they will not hold a grudge if the party changes course on the policy, according to reports at the weekend.

But that window will not last forever.Ms Reeves and Keir Starmer are also under pressure from MPs to U-turn swiftly.

The PM was challenged on the issue at a private meeting of MPs last night. Time is running out to stem the bleeding and move on from the controversy.

A landmark deal has been agreed between Britain and the European Union after a last-minute breakthrough in Sir Keir Starmer’s reset talks, The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke writes.

Sir Keir – who has made the Brexit reset a centrepiece of his administration – said Monday’s summit marks a “new era” of relations with the bloc, adding that it is about “moving on from stale old debates” and “looking forward, not backwards”.

Some issues have proven thornier than others, with the topic of fishing rights understood to have been a key stumbling block for negotiators that was only solved in the early hours of the morning.

Meanwhile, talks surrounding a youth mobility scheme appear to have ended in a deadlock.

As the prime minister faces judgement on how successful his mission to reset relations with the EU has really been, The Independent takes a look at exactly what has been agreed.

A second man has been charged over suspected arson attacks on properties and a car linked to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26 has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life following a series of fires in north London, the Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.

Read the full story by The Independent’s senior reporter Tara Cobham here:

Former Brexit secretary Sir David Davis has described Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset of relations with the EU as a “Remainer’s deal”.

The senior Tory MP said the prime minister has been “naive over things like dynamic alignment” and Britain is now “back under the European Court of Justice”.

“That is a really, really serious concession,” he told GB News.

He added: “It’s better to be friendly than not friendly, there’s no two ways about that. I’ve long been an arguer that we should be close to Europe without being run by Europe.

“But the simple truth is that most of the things that were promised to us in this were not really promises. They were forms of words.”

Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of “dragging Britain backwards” after Sir Keir Starmer secured an EU reset deal with the bloc.

The Tory opposition leader claimed Sir Keir “reopened the old Brexit battles we’ve already fought and won.”

“More EU law. More EU judges. More money sent to Brussels,” she wrote on social media.