EU return should have been ‘top of the agenda’ for summit, says SNP

The UK returning to the European Union should have been “at the very top of the agenda” for Monday’s summit, the SNP has said.

Sir Keir Starmer will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in London, where he is expected to announce a major deal with the bloc.

The agreement is expected to allow the UK access to a £125 billion EU defence fund, while reports suggest there could also be the creation of a youth mobility scheme and the cutting of red tape on food crossing the Channel.

The Prime Minister will host European leaders on Monday (Leon Neal/PA). PA Media

But despite the potential agreement, the SNP has claimed no deal would be better than returning to the bloc, almost a decade after the UK voted to leave.

The party’s Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins said: “Returning to the EU and returning to the single market and customs union should have been at the very top of the agenda at this EU-UK summit.

“After almost a decade of damage and decline in broken Brexit Britain – there are no ifs, buts or maybes about this – there will never be a better deal than being back in the EU.

“It is the biggest and the best growth strategy available and yet it is the only option the Labour Party have turned their face against – all because they are running scared of Nigel Farage.”

The Government told Gethins through a series of questions in Parliament that no analysis had been done of the potential impact of returning to the bloc.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray wrote in response: “The OBR has estimated that productivity will be 4% lower in the long run than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU, and that imports and exports will eventually both be 15% lower than had we stayed in the EU. As of the Spring Budget 2025, these assumptions are unchanged from its previous assessment.

“The OBR estimated in their March 2021 economic and fiscal outlook that two-fifths of this impact on productivity had already materialised before the trade and co-operation agreement came into force in January 2021.”

Gethins added: “In advance of this summit, by deliberately failing to even commission an official forecast, analysis or impact assessment on a return to the single market and customs union – the Labour Party is deliberately trying to cover up the benefits of EU membership.

“The UK Labour Government will sit back and allow the OBR to outline the negative costs, but they aren’t prepared to publish the positive benefits of finally reversing the madness of Brexit.

“It’s clear that Labour would rather keep their heads in the sand and try to hoodwink the public with a minimalist deal with our European neighbours.

“Once upon a time Keir Starmer used to argue for EU membership, he used to argue for its economic benefits, he used to argue for the benefits of European freedom of movement – now his government won’t even publish an objective analysis on the benefits of returning to the European institutions he once argued for.”

Meanwhile, the Scottish Tories urged the Government not to move on access to Scottish waters for European fishing vessels.

The party’s fishing spokesman Tim Eagle said: “The upcoming UK-EU summit must not be the Starmer surrender summit.

“Keir Starmer has the chance to protect the industry rather than selling out fishermen by using them as a bargaining chip to get a deal over the line.

“Since leaving the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), not only have we seen catches and landings increase but Scotland has had a far stronger voice in annual quota negotiations since the UK became an independent coastal state.

“The SNP would gladly sacrifice that by re-joining the CFP and the sector is rightly concerned that Labour will follow them by surrendering access to UK waters on Monday.

“Rather than sacrificing the future of Scotland’s fishermen, Keir Starmer must safeguard our waters by ensuring the industry has a voice at the summit.”

The UK Government has been contacted for comment.