Negotiations on the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement deal have not yet started but are due to commence this month. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA WireThe European Union is reportedly demanding guarantees the UK will compensate the bloc if a future government reneges on the Brexit “reset” agreement British prime minister Keir Starmer is currently negotiating. A UK Labour Party source said: “Exit provisions are a basic staple of any international trade agreement. Pretending these routine legal contingencies constitute a democratic outrage [is] frankly exhausting.”Negotiations on the SPS deal have not yet started but are due to commence this month. Anand Menon, the director of UK in a Changing Europe, said: “We shouldn’t be surprised that the EU is playing hardball.

Source: The Irish Times January 12, 2026 06:20 UTC