Britain wants Brexit talks to get going in the fall

LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants voters to see the benefits of his Brexit reset through lower prices in the supermarket — sooner, rather than later.

London wants detailed negotiations on a planned agri-food agreement to begin in the fall and conclude in the first part of 2026, according to a senior U.K. government official with knowledge of preparations for talks.

The ambitious timetable exceeds the expectations of some in industry. Fran Barnes, the chief executive of the Horticultural Trades Association, said the planned agreement “could not be more welcome, nor come soon enough.”

The senior U.K. official, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, added that the government was keen for the British public to start seeing the benefits of the new agreements before the run-up to the next general election.

It comes as the European Commission on Wednesday published its draft negotiating plans for the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which is intended to remove cross-channel border checks on plant and animal products by aligning Britain with EU standards.

The Commission has also published its early draft mandate on linking the U.K. and EU's emissions trading systems. Both proposals have to be approved by member states before the EU's executive can get down to business.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of delivering the reset, on Wednesday toured the U.K.’s largest fruit and veg wholesale market in south London to speak to traders.

Barnes of the Horticultural Trades Association said: “We urge both sides to work with us and quickly, to get the detail settled and to deliver real change. The current border regime has and continues to cause uncertainty and huge cost on our members’ businesses.”

Sense of urgency

Negotiations on linking the U.K. and EU emissions trading systems (ETS), another plank of the reset, also have a sense of urgency to them. This is because the EU's carbon border tax (CBAM) — which ETS linkage is meant to help British businesses avoid — is due to hit on Jan. 1, 2026.

Avoiding this hit is particularly crucial for Britain's struggling steel industry, which has for years been in and out of the headlines announcing job losses and seeking state bailouts.

The same senior U.K. official said that while talks on ETS linkage might not be concluded before the apparent Jan 2026 cliff-edge, London would seek to bridge any gap — perhaps with a bespoke temporary arrangement, or if the EU ended up delaying aspects of CBAM on its own accord.

Further negotiating mandates are expected to be produced by the EU in the coming months covering other topics agreed to be part of the reset, for example on improved electricity trading arrangements.

EU ambassador Pedro Serrano told POLITICO on Friday: "I know that there is very clear determination to conclude these mandates as early as possible, and that a lot of work has already been launched and is taking place on this. We want to implement the agreement as swiftly as possible on both sides."