Britain and the European Union will hold their second summit since Brexit in Brussels on July 22, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday, as his government presses to deepen ties with the bloc on trade, security and the economy. Starmer set the date after a bilateral meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa on the margins of the G7 summit in France.
"My Labour government is delivering on our promise to reset our relationship and put Britain at the heart of Europe," Starmer said. "Together we will tackle the cost of living, boost jobs and create opportunities for young people." He made the announcement in a post on X following the talks.
Costa echoed the message, saying "close EU-UK cooperation is essential for our shared European security, resilience, and prosperity," and that both sides were "working closely together to make our upcoming second summit in Brussels on 22 July a success."
The meeting builds on the reset agreed earlier this year, the most significant recalibration of relations since the UK left the bloc. That package removed some trade barriers and opened the door to defence cooperation, but left a long list of details to be negotiated. London is seeking further progress on steel tariffs, food and agricultural standards, and energy, alongside the security and defence agenda.
A central plank of the reset is a defence and security pact intended to let Britain take part in joint European procurement, a priority as the continent rearms in response to the war in Ukraine. British defence firms have pushed for access to EU-backed programmes, though further agreement is needed before they can participate fully.
The July summit will also test how far the two sides can move on people-to-people links, including a youth-mobility scheme that has been discussed but not finalised. Such arrangements remain politically sensitive in Britain, where immigration is a live issue.
For Starmer, the diplomacy abroad offers a contrast with mounting pressure at home, where his government has faced poor polling and internal Labour discontent. Framing the EU reset as a route to jobs and lower living costs is central to the case he is making to voters.
The choice of Brussels for the second summit, after the inaugural meeting was hosted in London, signals an intention to institutionalise regular UK-EU leaders’ gatherings rather than treat them as one-off events.