John Campbell
BBC News NI economics and business editor

Linda in Northern Ireland writes: Completely worthless as far as we sub-class of citizens in Northern Ireland are concerned. What we get are rules over which we have no control - is this new deal going to continue choking the life out of this place?

When the agri-food deal is finalised and implemented, it should mean a significant easing in trade restrictions from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Food and plants will no longer be subject to checks and will have much less paper work.

This should make life easier for supermarkets and garden centres as well as individual consumers buying products online.

While the current arrangements have been a real burden for businesses, there’s not much evidence of ‘the life being choked out of this place’ - official statistics suggest NI’s economy has performed better than most other UK regions recently.

Becky Morton
Political reporter

Malcolm in Bristol and Christopher in Inverness want to know: When will the new EU port e-gates at airports start to operate?

Since Brexit, British travellers at EU airports have generally been forced to have their port stamped at manned desks, rather than use automatic gates with facial recognition technology.

Some airports already allow British port-holders to use e-gates - but for those that don't the only alternative is often a lengthy queue.

The deal states that there will be "no legal barriers" to Britons using e-gates when travelling to and from EU countries after the introduction of the European Union Entry-Exit System.

The long-awaited digital border checks system is due to replace port stamping for travellers from outside the EU in October.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said UK holidaymakers will want to get away "without delay" this summer and he wants them to be able to use e-gates "as soon as possible".

But it is up to individual EU countries to decide whether British port holders can use e-gates at their airports.

So whether this will be possible in more countries by the summer holidays is unclear.

Image source, Alamy

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Brian in Nottingham asks: How does this agreement with EU affect the UK's ability to negotiate trade deals with other nations?

When Brexit was being negotiated, the then-Conservative government said a deal with the EU would prevent the UK from g trade deals with the rest of the world.

Given the recent deals struck with India and the US, that’s clearly no longer the case.

But the UK will now effectively be a rule-taker when it comes to EU standards on food and farming exports.

Ministers are fairly comfortable with that for two reasons.

• Firstly, they didn’t want to lower those standards anyway – which we saw in the recent US deal.
• Secondly, the level of trade the UK has with the EU massively outstrips other agreements.

The deal signed yesterday will eventually boost the economy by around £9bn a year – that’s largely just food, farming and energy trading.

The recent trade deal with India was a much broader agreement, but will only boost the economy by around £5bn a year.

If the UK was to re the customs union or single market, there’d be knock-on effects for other trade agreements, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but yesterday’s relatively limited agreement doesn’t go nearly that far.

Jack Fenwick
Political correspondent

Christina in London says she is anxious to hear about what this deal means for the Spain/Gibraltar frontier.

Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares told BBC Newsnight earlier this month that the issue of Gibraltar was “not resolved yet”.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and so its post-Brexit land border with Spain has been a complex sticking point in negotiations between the UK and the European Union.

Thousands of people cross that border with Spain every day to work, shop or visit family – and despite years of talks between the two negotiating sides, no final decisions on border checks or transit have been made.

Albares said that “we need to solve the issue of Gibraltar in order to have a full European-Union-UK relationship”.

There was no detailed mention of Gibraltar in yesterday’s agreement, but Antonio Costa, the head of the European Council, did say that the UK and EU were “not very far” from concluding a deal.

Though it’s worth pointing out that a similar statement was made more than a year ago.

James Cook
Scotland editor

A reader in Scotland asks: What proportion of the English fishing quota has been sold off to other countries’ fishermen? Is it the same for Scottish fishing quotas?

It's quite complicated!

First of all, the new UK-EU agreement, external does not deal with 'English' or 'Scottish' quotas but UK quotas.

Secondly "sold off" is not a literal description of what has happened - although it is certainly how some fishermen in the UK regard it. Others might argue that "a trade-off" is a more accurate description.

Image source, PA Media

To understand what has gone on, we need to go back to when the UK was a member of the European Union. Then, fishing quotas were governed by the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) under which EU boats could catch fish in UK waters and vice versa.

This was very unpopular with many UK fishermen who complained, accurately, that under the CFP they caught far less fish in EU waters than EU fishermen caught in UK waters.

After Brexit, the UK and the EU agreed that EU vessels could still fish in UK waters, external until 30 June 2026, but that 25% of the EU’s quota in UK waters (by value of fish landings) would gradually be transferred to the UK.

From 1 July 2026,EU-UK deals for fishing access were to have been negotiated annually, external.

But this new deal maintains the current position in of EU access to UK waters for 12 years, a move criticised by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation as "total capitulation" by the UK government.

Downing Street stresses that the EU quota in UK waters has not increased, and says the deal provides certainty as well as streamlining the process for selling UK fish and shellfish into the EU.

Becky Morton
Political reporter

Andy in Eastbourne asks: Does this new agreement allow for the free and unrestricted movement of musicians and bands?

Since Brexit, British musicians have faced extra costs and red tape when touring Europe - and stars have long called for action to tackle this.

Labour's general election manifesto last year pledged to "help our touring artists" as part of negotiations with the EU.

But the deal agreed on Monday only recognises the "value" of touring artists and promises to continue efforts "to travel and cultural exchange".

The UK says it will explore "how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent".

Tom Kiehl, chief executive of UK Music, which represents the industry, welcomed this as "an important first step" but said the sector was seeking "more concrete commitments".

Image source, Getty Images

Becky Morton
Political reporter

Anna Maria, a dental student studying in Bulgaria, asks: Do we have any update on mutual recognition of professional qualifications as promised by the Labour Party in their election manifesto?

Anna Maria's right in pointing out a promise in Labour's manifesto was to "secure a mutual recognition agreement for professional qualifications, external to help open up markets for UK service exporters".

This would mean professionals - such as doctors, lawyers, ants and architects - who qualified in one country could practice in another with minimal extra bureaucracy.

EU citizens already have the right to do this across the bloc.

Such an agreement would make it easier for British companies to move staff between the UK and EU and undertake short-term work in Europe.

However, there may be less incentive for the EU to reach a deal on this, given that the current situation makes it harder for UK firms to compete for business in Europe.

Monday's deal only promises to set up "dedicated dialogues" on the recognition of professional qualifications.

A full agreement in this area could take much longer to negotiate, if the EU will sign up to one at all.

Johanna Chisholm
Live page editor

As our chief political correspondent just wrote - there's plenty that we still don't know about the UK-EU deal which was announced yesterday.

But we've called upon a number of experts from across the BBC to help answer some of your most asked questions.

Starting shortly, you can expect to read more about some of the key concerns that have been banded around since Keir Starmer unveiled a wide-ranging agreement with the EU.

These questions were submitted to our team through Your Voice, Your BBC News, which allows us to hear about the issues that are affecting you.

Stay with us as our team endeavours to answer your questions, covering everything from fishing access to whether or not you can now travel with a wheel of camembert from Calais to Dover.

Nearly a decade after the EU referendum result - does Brexit still matter? Or should we leave it behind?

These are among the questions Nicky Campbell is aiming to answer as part of his phone-in on BBC Radio 5 Live as he picks apart the fine details of Monday's deal.

You can watch along at the top of this page by clicking watch live and then later, we will also be answering your questions on this page.

Former strategy and communications director for Labour and Remain campaigner Tom Baldwin and former head of press for Reform UK Gawain Towler are first on air - listen above.

Who are the winners and losers from the UK-EU agreement?published at 10:01 British Summer Time 20 May

10:01 BST 20 May

By Ben Chu, Tom Edgington and Tamara Kovacevic

As we've been reporting, a deal to "reset" relations between the UK and the EU following Brexit was agreed at a summit in London yesterday.

The agreement covers a range of issues, including defence, fishing, the trade in food products and the ability of young people to move freely between the UK and the EU.

Our colleagues at BBC have gone through the deal, picking out the potential winners and losers.

• Read the full BBC UK-EU deal analysis

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

The domestic political criticism of Keir Starmer’s deal with the EU has been ferocious. The Conservatives are accusing the PM of surrender and Reform UK say he is killing off the British fishing industry.

On the other side of the argument, the Liberal Democrats say that he should have gone further in pursuing close ties with the EU.

The prime minister may well find himself in the unusual position of welcoming that criticism.

Fundamental to what happened yesterday is Starmer’s assessment that the overwhelming majority of the public is over Brexit, however they voted in the EU referendum almost a decade ago, and just want things to work a bit better.

The PM pretty much said so yesterday when he vowed to move on from the “stale old debates and political fights.”

Whether Starmer is right about that being the public’s position will be critical to the political success, or otherwise, of this process.

Adam Fleming
Newscast presenter

The latest episode of Newscast comes from Number 11 Downing Street, because Chancellor Rachel Reeves wanted to give us her take on the UK's "reset" with the EU.

In the interview she broadly stuck to the government's script, but she said explicitly that the UK would negotiate a cap on the number of people who can come to Britain on the new youth experience scheme - an issue that was left vague in the official documents.

The chancellor also thinks the details of the deal on plant and animal exports could be agreed very quickly, which makes me wonder if she is being over-optimistic about how quickly the EU does these things.

In other news, she confirmed that the government will not change the £20,000 annual limit for ISA contributions and she dropped her biggest hint yet that she could offer the winter fuel allowance to more pensioners, a growing concern among Labour MPs.

• Catch up with the chancellor's full interview on BBC Sounds

There's still plenty we do not know about the UK-EU dealpublished at 09:09 British Summer Time 20 May

09:09 BST 20 May

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Almost everyone in politics agrees that yesterday’s deal was significant – be that Keir Starmer in touting his own deal, or his critics condemning it.

Yet in the cold light of this morning, it is worth noting that quite a lot of the thorniest questions are yet to be resolved.

Take the youth mobility scheme – or the “youth experience scheme” as the government now wants it to be known. The UK has extracted the significant concession from the EU that the numbers coming here will be capped. But what will that cap be? We do not know.

The UK will pay money to Brussels to access the EU defence fund and as part of the alignment of its food standards systems. How much? We do not know.

The EU has clarified to its member states that they can allow Britons to use e-gates at their airports. Which member states will do so, and when? We do not know.

When will the other provisions come into force? You get the idea – mostly, we do not know.

That’s not to diminish the significance of the shift in the UK’s posture towards the EU which yesterday’s summit and deal represented.

But this is by no means over.

We'll be hosting a question and answer session later this morning, and we want you to get in touch with your queries.

Do you want to know how the deal Keir Starmer has negotiated is going to affect you? Or perhaps you still need help making sense of pet ports, e-gates and fishing quotas.

Whatever is on your mind, get in touch at www.bbc.co.uk/yourvoice, email [email protected] or WhatsApp: 07980 682727.

Image source, PA Media

As expected, there was strong reaction from across the political sphere after the UK-EU deal was announced yesterday.

The deal was welcomed by Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, who said it was "good news" for people in the UK amid the cost of living crisis and called it a "step in the right direction".

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch labelled the deal a "surrender", adding that the prime minister had taken the country "backwards".

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said : “Labour have well and truly sold out our fishing industry, all in the name of closer ties to an ever-diminishing political union.”

And this morning, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told the BBC he felt the deal was a “welcome stepping stone to hopefully a better deal in the future.”

Following on from Prof Catherine Barnard's analysis, the CEO of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) calls the fishing deal in particular a "really bad deal" for the industry.

The UK and EU have agreed to a 12-year extension to existing fishing quotas allowing boats access to British waters until 2038.

The initial agreement was due to end next year and would have been reviewed on a year-on-year basis.

Sir Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen said it would bring "stability" - but SFF's Elspeth Macdonald argues it is a "really unfair and unbalanced arrangement" which she says favours the EU more than British fishermen and fisherwomen.

"Easing the trade barriers," will "reduce some of the burdens" including some certifications burdened on Scottish fishermen, Macdonald tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We [SFF] believe there will be some advantages, but those advantages do not outweigh the cost of giving away free access to UK fishing waters for 12 years”.

Image source, Getty Images

Catherine Barnard, who is a professor of EU law and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge has been poring over the finer details of the official documents and has given the BBC her assessment.

"It's clearly an important deal, which sends out an important message that the EU and UK are friends - allies," she tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

She singles out the "quite ambitious" defence and security act which has been signed and describes the UK's relationship with the EU now as "pay as you play."

"The fish agreement seems to be based on the situation as it is at the moment. There will also be annual consultations," Barnard continues.

She highlights fishing as a "sensitive issue", but one that is only a small portion of the UK economy.

Image source, PA Media

The new UK-EU trade deal shows Labour has "betrayed Brexit", the shadow foreign secretary says.

Priti Patel tells BBC Breakfast that the government has given no details, nor an economic assessment, on what their new trade deal with the EU "actually means".

“I don’t recall during the general election Keir Starmer being honest and transparent with the British people saying he was going to do all this,” she adds.

Patel criticises parts of the deal including what it may mean for fishermen - who, she says, have had their futures put in "jeopardy" by the agreement.

"No reset is better than a bad reset," she says, adding that the issues addressed in the deal "did not have to be reopened".

Is UK-EU deal a 'win-win' for the Scottish fishing industry or a 'capitulation'?published at 07:32 British Summer Time 20 May

07:32 BST 20 May

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Keir Starmer has described this UK-EU deal as a "win-win" but that is not necessarily how it is viewed by every part of the Scottish fishing industry.

The sharply contrasting reactions of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation - which has accused the UK government of "capitulation" - and Salmon Scotland, which has welcomed an agreement it believes will "slash red tape", underlines the fact that any deal involves trade-offs.

The UK government is trying to offset the disappointment of some in the fishing industry with a £360m fund for coastal communities.

There are aspects of closer cooperation between the UK and EU that the Scottish government is happy to welcome.

However, there was never going to be a package that would satisfy SNP ministers, as they favour a return to the EU.

They argue the best way for that to be achieved is through Scottish independence. But that debate has lost much of its previous energy.

An earlier "reset" in relations between the UK and devolved governments has improved how they work together.

But Scottish ministers argue that they should have been consulted on yesterday's deal, despite foreign affairs being a matter reserved to Westminster.

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

Image source, EPA

The UK is now in a better place on trade "than any other country in the world", the chancellor has said.

Speaking to Newscast following the announcement of the deal yesterday, Rachel Reeves suggested the government wanted to go further on its new agreement with the EU and said a trade pact with countries in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, would be the "next deal".

Reeves said Britain's economic growth was on course to be upgraded as a result of the country's recent three trade deals agreed with the US, India, and the EU.

She described the recent trade deals as having "come along like buses" and hinted at expectations of an UK economic growth forecasts as a result.

• Read more on the chancellor's comments: UK now best placed country on trade - Reeves