Image source, Getty Images

The Liberal Democrats want the UK government to "keep pushing" and to be more ambitious when seeking out fresh trade deals with the European Union, Sir Ed Davey says.

The Lib Dem leader tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The damage Brexit has done to our country is quite profound, so this is a welcome stepping stone to hopefully a better deal in the future."

Davey says his party backs getting into "some sort of customs union agreement" with the EU.

But he also accuses the Conservatives and Reform UK of wanting "to fight the Brexit wars of the past".

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, Reuters

The self-imposed guardrails the government had imposed in these post-Brexit negotiations intentionally limited its room for manoeuvre.

There will be no return to the European Union's customs union or single market or freedom of movement.

So there was, then, a risk of pleasing few in the changes they agreed to: those who see themselves as custodians of the original Brexit deal would see it as an unforgivable dilution - and some do.

And those who have consistently argued Brexit is a disaster would regard ministers as shamefully unambitious - and some do.

Sir Keir Starmer's calculation appears to be that a majority are of neither of those views, but keen to see what they would describe as improvements around the edges of the existing deal.

Read more from Chris here.

Sam Francis
Political reporter

Image source, Getty Images

In Lancaster House in central London on Monday, the UK and EU unveiled a series of new deals setting out post-Brexit relations on areas including fishing rights, trade and defence.

Let's remind you of the key elements of the series of agreements:

On fishing...

• It will keep the current fishing status quo giving EU boats continued access to UK waters until2038
• The UK will continue to agree yearly quotas with the EU and Norway and issue licences to control who fishes in its waters

On food...

• The UK will get reduced checks on food exports to the EU
• The new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement means the UK can sell raw burgers and sausages back into the EU for the first time since Brexit

On defence...

• A formal UK-EU defence and security pact has been established, which the government says "paves the way" for UK-based arms firms to access the Security Action for Europe (Safe) - a £150bn EU fund providing loans for defence projects

On port checks and youth mobility scheme...

• The UK and the EU have agreed to co-operate further on a "youth experience scheme" - but this will be subject to further negotiations
• British holidaymakers will be able to use e-gates at more European airports - although it is not yet clear when this will come into force

Thomas Mackintosh
Live reporter

Good morning from London and welcome back to our coverage of yesterday's wide-ranging agreements between the UK and the European Union in their first post-Brexit summit.

In a series of deals, the UK agreed to cut red tape and align standards with the EU to allow more farming and food exports. The EU has been given an extension of its existing fishing quotas - boats now have access to British waters for a further 12 years.

British travellers might also be able to use port e-gates in the EU to reduce queuing time at airports - although this needs to be implemented by individual member states.

There have also been agreements on defence and a youth mobility scheme.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC on Monday that the UK is now in a better place to trade than any other country in the world, following other deals with the US and India, and says a trade pact with Gulf countries could be next.

But the agreements have attracted criticism from the Tories and Reform UK, who have accused Labour of surrendering to Brussels and selling-out the UK fishing industry.

As part of Your Voice, Your BBC News, we will be answering your questions on the UK's new deals later this morning, so please do get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp: 07756 165803

Jamie Whitehead
Live editor

Image source, Getty Images

As our political reporter Joshua Nevett writes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it's time to move on from the "political fights" about Brexit.

Today, the UK and the EU have struck a deal that covers fishing, trade, defence and energy, and strengthens ties in a number of policy areas still up for negotiation.

Today's summit in London, the first between the UK and EU since the country left the bloc, is the first of what leaders hope will be a series of annual talks. Discussions focused on fishing, food import and exports, travel and defence.

A key part of the deal - which Starmer has described as "win-win" - involves giving European fishing boats 12 more years of access to British waters, something the bloc gets in exchange for easing some trade frictions.

But while Starmer is happy, not everyone else is.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the deal a "surrender" to the EU, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the deal "truly sold out our fishing industry, all in the name of closer ties to an ever-diminishing political union".

We'll be pausing our coverage for now - but if you're looking for more, you can have a read through our at-a-glance guide to the deal, or you can read our news story., external

Thanks for ing us.

Today's deal would always result in limited changespublished at 17:50 British Summer Time 19 May

17:50 BST 19 May

Chris Mason
Political editor

First there were the years of Brexit noise.

Then the years of Brexit omerta; the political class and society at large seemingly drained of the will to talk about it any more.

Today, then, a relative recent novelty - Brexit making news again. For all the high-altitude rhetoric, this was always going to amount to limited changes – ministers promising not to re- those central pillars of the EU, the customs union, the single market and freedom of movement.

Ministers are selling it as a smoothing of some trading frictions and what’s seen as pragmatic closer cooperation on defence and security in a dangerous world.

Alongside that limited deal with America and broader deal with India earlier this month, there are now a trio of tie ups for a government that’s faced headwinds as it scans the horizon for economic growth.

The vociferous reaction of the Conservatives and Reform, fearing Brexit’s dilution; the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party and others instinctively wanting a much closer relationship are a vignette – just for the day – of those years of paralysing acrimony.

A key practical takeaway tonight is much that has been agreed does still lack detail and timeframes – the changes, whatever your view of them, are likely to be rather diffuse – over the coming weeks, months and years.

Image source, EPA

Malcolm Prior
Rural affairs producer

The reduced barriers on exports to the EU that the new deal promises have been broadly welcomed by UK farmers - but many are waiting to see more detail on what the new relationship will mean in practice.

While the National Pig Association was pleased farmers could once again sell raw sausages to the EU, chief executive Lizzie Wilson says her “greatest fear” was that the deal could lead to fewer border checks on imports at a time when diseases like foot-and-mouth and African swine fever are circulating in Europe.

She adds that the deal must not result in “an open door” for meat imports from the EU.

The Country Land and Business Association’s president Victoria Vyvyan called for an “immediate reassurance” that the UK would have a voice in decisions made under the new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement that covers food safety and animal and plant health.

Meanwhile, National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw says it was not yet clear what UK rules and regulations would have to be aligned with the EU’s.

He says it was particularly “vital” that policy progress made on precision breeding in agriculture, such as the use of gene-editing techniques, was maintained.

“As always in trade agreements, the detail is king,” he adds.

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

European media reaction to the EU-UK deal has been largely favourable, if lukewarm.

"On both sides of the English Channel, there is consensus regarding the advisability of turning the page on the divorce that began with the disastrous referendum," says an editorial in Spanish Expansión.

's Suddeutsche Zeitung warns the deal - while welcome - would be a "reality check" for those who longed for the "pre-Brexit era".

"But given the deadlock that has been going on for years, one can fundamentally be pleased with every step... that leads to closer ties," it says.

Italian Corriere della Sera calls the deal a "mini reset" but says that the UK's "red lines" on the single market and freedom of movement any change would be "cosmetic" rather than substantial.

For their part individual EU leaders have not yet commented on the deal.

But that's not wholly surprising: this deal - as was the case throughout the intensive years of Brexit negotiation - was the work of the EU institutions, negotiating on behalf of the bloc's member countries.

That is why today in London the EU as a body was represented by Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), António Costa (European Council) and Kaja Kallas (EU representative for foreign affairs).

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI Political Correspondent

A UK-EU deal that will see fewer checks on some goods going from GB to NI will be assessed through “the prism of the union”, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said.

He says that “in superficial ” some progress has been made, but that it was “too early” to give a definitive outcome about what it would mean for Northern Ireland.

He adds his party would also want to see full detail of the plan, but says that Labour understood that the current barriers to trade were “intolerable”.

But he says he had concerns about part of the deal that relates to fishing rights and whether that would negatively affect local fishing firms.

Image source, Getty Images

The EU and the UK have "turned the page" and begun a new chapter with the g of a wide-ranging deal on post-Brexit relations.

Sandro Gozi, an Italian MEP and chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, told BBC Newshour that the agreement was in the interest of both sides.

While acknowledging the UK's economic challenges since Brexit, Gozi says he hopes for improved relations under the new Prime Minister following the recent EU-UK summit.

"Today, we turned the page, we've opened a new chapter... this commitment is absolutely in the interest of both sides," he says.

Jennifer Meierhans
Business reporter, BBC News

The UK government says it has agreed to closer co-operation with the EU on energy, which it says is "crucial to reducing the cost of electricity" in both nations.

So what's changing - and will it bring household bills down?

In October, a report by industry body Energy UK , externalwarned Britain's post-Brexit energy relationship with the EU introduced significant barriers to trade would lead to higher energy bills and run the risk of discouraging investment in clean homegrown energy if left unaddressed.

It warned: "Unless the UK moves toward closer cooperation with the EU on energy and climate, it may lead to additional costs of up to £10bn this parliament through higher energy bills and lower Treasury revenues."

In today's deal announcement, the UK government says it is going to look at participating in the EU's trading platforms. The nations will also work together to develop new renewables in the North Sea, as well as on hydrogen, carbon capture use and storage, and decarbonised gases.

Chief executive of Energy UK, Dhara Vyas says: "The commitments both sides have made represent a common-sense approach to cooperation and will deliver better outcomes for the UK economy, businesses and customers."

She adds: “This agreement will remove barriers to growth, lowering energy prices, and clearing the way for a shared future powered by clean energy.”

Image source, PA Media

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer has welcomed the UK-EU deal, calling the reset "good news" for people in the UK amid the cost of living crisis.

Denyer says the deal gives "hope" for young people who want to live, work, study and form friendships freely across Europe.

But she says she would like to see closer relations between the UK and the EU that would include re-ing the customs union and free movement across Europe.

Ultimately, Denyer says the agreement is "a step in the right direction and moves us forward from a place where Reform and the Tories would like us to stay stuck."

She has also hit back at the rhetoric that the deal was a "betrayal", accusing critics of disregarding "the damage inflicted on the country through Brexit".

Image source, PA Media

We're hearing more reaction from the Conservative Party about the deal announced earlier today.

Party leader Kemi Badenoch has labelled the agreement a "surrender" deal, and says that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has "taken us backwards".

Shadow secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Victoria Atkins adds that the deal has "sunk the United Kingdom's fishing industry."

The concession on fishing rights has been a focus for the Tories' criticism, with Badenoch adding that "on fisheries, Britain is now in a worse position than the Faroe Islands."

Image source, EPA

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Brexit advocate, has hit out at Prime Minister Keir Starmer over what he calls a "one-sided" EU-UK deal.

He says that Starmer is sacrificing the UK's fishing interests and allowing British seas to be "plundered".

The post-Brexit deal on fishing rights, which gave EU boats continued access to UK waters, was set to expire at the end of June 2026. But with the new EU-UK deal, it will be extended to 2038.

He also says the agreement represents a walk-back of Starmer's election promises. "Starmer promised at the election that he would not go back on Brexit," Johnson says.

The former PM revised Brexit's withdrawal plan in 2019.

Branwen Jeffreys
Education Editor

For students and other young adults, it’s not clear when the details of any greater freedom to travel to study or work will be thrashed out.

The number of students from the EU fell dramatically after Brexit because they are required to pay the same tuition fees as any other international student.

This is typically two to three times higher than for home students, whether it is an undergraduate degree or postgraduate.

A few universities have softened the cost by offering bursaries to European students to bring the fees down to the same level as home students.

Even with a willingness to discuss fees in the long term, any change could mean a further hit to university finances.

Dearbail Jordan
Senior Business and Economics Reporter

Earlier today, shadow secretary for Scotland Andrew Bowie told the BBC that a UK-EU deal would risk Britain becoming “a rule-taker and not a rule-setter".

Not according to the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), which doesn't pull any punches about the 2020 Brexit deal while "strongly" welcoming today's announcement.

"This government has managed to achieve what the previous government promised us originally but didn’t deliver," it says.

The BMPA says that under the existing deal, it already had to comply with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Controls but "have had to produce a mountain of paperwork to prove we comply, costing business a fortune but with NO ADDED VALUE."

It adds: "This extra cost had to be absorbed somewhere in the supply chain, either through lower margins or higher prices, driving food price inflation and rendering UK businesses less competitive."

Simon Browning
Transport reporter

Image source, Getty Images

According to the EU’s published text, changes allowing British port holders to use EU e-gates won’t come in until “after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System (EES)”.

EES is a new border scheme for ing visitors from outside the EU arriving in the bloc that's expected to begin in October.

Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, who led negotiations with the EU, has just been asked if UK port holders will be able to use e-gates this summer in the EU.

He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One that “there is no legal barrier for the use of e-gates by UK citizens across member states, and it is about individual member states.”

If it does not happen this summer, it will mean that UK travellers going to some of Europe’s most popular destinations, like Palma, Malaga or Amsterdam will still likely need to queues for “other countries” and wait for port checks and stamps.

These hour-long queues have been hugely frustrating for holiday makers and tour operators who wanted these changes as soon as possible.

The Cabinet Office has been approached for confirmation.

Our colleagues on Radio 4 have spoken to Catherine Barnard, a professor of European law at Cambridge University.

They asked Barnard when we're likely to see e-gates used broadly by travellers entering the EU.

She says the written agreement between the UK and the EU only mentions the "potential use of e-gates where appropriate."

Barnard adds: "It's up to the member states to work out when they will introduce this - so don't hold your breath."

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

The prime minister has said he wants British ports holders to be able to use e-gates at European airports "as soon as possible".

Keir Starmer told reporters the deal with the EU had wiped away any sense that the European Commission thought there was any reason for it not to happen.

"We will be pushing hard for this to be done," he said.

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

The text of the agreement notes, external "that European Union citizens can use e-gates in the United Kingdom and that there will be no legal barriers to eGate use for British Nationals traveling to and from European Union Member States after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System."

However, there is no obligation on individual countries to allow the use of e-gates, nor any firm timescale for when it could happen.

Before the news conference, UK and EU leaders were at the summit finalising the deals.

We're seeing some photos in our newsroom now showing what it looked like in the room.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images