Jon Stone
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Articles by Jon Stone
EU capitals urge Brussels to ‘swiftly’ sign electricity deal with UK
LONDON — The leaders of five EU countries have urged Brussels to “swiftly” sign a deal to let the U.K. back into the single market for electricity. In a letter seen by POLITICO, sent earlier this week, the leaders of Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Luxembourg say this month’s U.K.-EU summit should set out “a path” to getting the talks over the line as soon as possible.
UK and EU close in on Brexit ‘reset’ deal
LONDON — Andy Burnham will head to Brussels this month to “reset” Brexit. Two weeks out, a landing zone for a deal with the EU looks increasingly clear. The negotiations, which began under Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer, include a new agrifood agreement, a deal to link emissions trading systems and new visas for young people.
EU open to flexibility on euro and Schengen if UK tries to rejoin
LONDON — Brussels would be flexible on letting Britain stay out of the euro and the Schengen area if it applied to rejoin the European Union, two EU officials familiar with the bloc’s approach have told POLITICO. Britain would not necessarily have to join the single currency or passport-free zone — a concern held by some British voters — according to the two officials, who were granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter.
Brussels proposes delaying tuition fee demand till after UK-EU summit
LONDON — Brussels is proposing to extend negotiations on its core demand for cut-price tuition fees for EU students studying in the U.K. beyond next month’s leaders’ summit, as a package of deals nears completion, three EU diplomats with knowledge of the talks told POLITICO. The European Commission on Wednesday presented the option to member countries of decoupling the tuition fee demand from the long-delayed U.K.-EU summit on Nov. 20.
Burnham needs public consent for his EU reset, says Brexit negotiator Barnier
PARIS — Andy Burnham needs to get the British Parliament involved before pressing for a closer relationship with the European Union, according to Michel Barnier, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator.
UK and EU agree to hold Brexit ‘reset’ summit on Nov. 20
LONDON — Britain and the European Union will hold their annual leaders summit on Nov. 20 in Brussels. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed the date in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday afternoon. Brussels and London want to use the meeting to sign off new agreements on agri-food trade, emissions trading, and a youth mobility scheme.
Germany wants UK to raise tariffs on Chinese EVs
LONDON — Germany wants the U.K. to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for protection from Made in Europe rules, according to a person familiar with Berlin’s position. Friedrich Merz’s government believes the move would show reciprocity on trade and counter accusations from other EU member states that Britain is trying to “cherry pick” the benefits of EU membership, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss closed-door talks.
UK and EU reach Brexit agreement to link carbon emissions trading systems
LONDON — Britain and the European Union have successfully reached an agreement on linking their respective emissions trading systems, four people briefed on the talks told POLITICO. The negotiations, which kicked off last year, have been wrapped up and a deal is set to be unveiled at the planned U.K.-EU summit in the coming weeks.
UK hopeful of deal with EU on Made in Europe
BRUSSELS — Britain is hopeful of doing a deal with the European Union to avoid British businesses being hit by new Made in Europe trade rules, the minister in charge of talks has said. European Relations Minister Hamish Falconer told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook Podcast it was “overwhelmingly in both sides’ interests” to strike an agreement on the proposed controls.
Macron and Sanchez say UK would be ‘welcome’ back in EU
LONDON — French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have welcomed Andy Burnham’s plan to unpick Brexit. Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday, Macron said Britain returning to the EU would be “excellent news” while Sanchez said the U.K. would be welcomed “with open arms.” “This is very good news, both for his country and for Europeans,” Macron told reporters of the U.K. prime minister’s policy shift.
Andy Burnham keeps his options open on Brexit
LIVERPOOL, England — Andy Burnham pledged to undertake the most ambitious review of Brexit since Britain left the EU. But for now at least, he’s keeping all his options open. Speaking at his party’s annual conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, the U.K. prime minister said the current plans to improve the Brexit settlement struck by the last Conservative government were “not enough” and that leaving the bloc had done “more harm than good.” But Burnham didn't pledge an immediate fix.
Burnham’s EU push reopens Labour’s Brexit divide
LIVERPOOL, England — Andy Burnham is planning to go big on Brexit. For his party, the question is: How big? The U.K. prime minister is now widely expected to use his annual speech to Labour’s party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday to talk up closer ties with the EU. But Burnham will have to strike a delicate balance between those in his party who want to walk back Brexit — and those who want to make peace with it.
Andy Burnham to go ‘further and faster’ than Keir Starmer on Brexit reset
LIVERPOOL, England — Andy Burnham’s government will go “further and faster” in rebuilding links with the European Union, his EU relations minister has said. Hamish Falconer told delegates at the party’s conference in Liverpool on Monday that they would “hear a bit from the prime minister tomorrow” on the issue of the EU.
UK and EU step up cooperation on international aid
LONDON — The U.K.’s international development minister is set to attend a meeting of her EU counterparts for the first time since Brexit. Kirsty McNeill’s attendance at the informal EU council meeting in early October marks the biggest step so far in the U.K. and EU's efforts to ramp up cooperation on aid. It comes as Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is pushing to make international development a central mission of his ministry after years of cuts to the U.K. aid budget.
EU warns UK not to put itself in a corner on Brexit reset
LONDON — The U.K. risks blowing up its Brexit reset if it ties it to guarantees on Made in Europe. That’s the message EU capitals want London to hear. Europe’s protectionist push has the British government worried — and it wants assurances that U.K. businesses won’t be hit. But Brussels says it can’t be done. The EU’s Made in Europe legislation isn’t finished and is currently passing through the bloc’s cumbersome legislative process.
Britain’s prisoner release scheme spooks EU neighbors
LONDON — Britain is preparing to release thousands of prisoners early to free up space in its overcrowded prisons. Its European neighbors are getting worried. Five EU diplomats told POLITICO that their countries are particularly concerned about this change, with some saying they fear their nationals could be returned with little or no advance warning or communication.
Burnham leaves door open to ‘rejoin EU’ pledge
NEW YORK — Will Labour go into the next general election campaigning to reverse Brexit? Andy Burnham says that’s “a question for another day.” Quizzed by reporters ahead of a meeting with the president of the European Commission, the U.K. prime minister left the door open to making the manifesto commitment — which is backed by some in his party. Burnham said he had been “reflecting on that last decade” outside the EU and suggested the referendum campaign had been characterized by distorted facts.
Brussels won’t offer ‘associate EU membership’ to Brexit Britain
LONDON — The European Union has just offered Canada “associate EU membership.” Don’t expect it to do the same for Brexit Britain. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s surprise announcement came during her State of the Union address in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
Trade unions urge Andy Burnham to drop Brexit ‘red lines’
LONDON — Andy Burnham should drop Labour’s “arbitrary” Brexit red lines and build a close new relationship with the EU, Britain’s trade unions said Tuesday. At their annual congress in Brighton, delegates from the U.K.’s labour movement backed a motion urging the new British prime minister to strike the “deepest possible partnership” with Brussels.
Andy Burnham’s big new Brexit deal isn’t coming anytime soon
LONDON — Andy Burnham says he wants a big new Brexit deal to boost economic growth. Don’t expect it at this year’s EU-U.K. summit. The long-anticipated meeting — widely expected for November — has been pitched as a bookend to current talks, as well as a staging point for bigger things. But achieving what former U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called “iterative” progress on unpicking the Brexit settlement and replacing it with something much more ambitious is looking as far off as ever.
Ed Miliband to attend EU foreign ministers meeting in Ireland
LONDON — U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland as he pushes for closer ties with Europe. The attendance by Britain’s top diplomat at the summit, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday, is the latest sign that Miliband wants to prioritize relations with Britain’s European neighbors.
Team up with EU on energy to combat China, Andy Burnham told
LONDON — Britain and the European Union should coordinate efforts to wrest green supply chains away from China, a think tank with close links to the ruling Labour Party has said. A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests doubling down on cross-channel energy cooperation to help address “painfully high” energy prices and insulate against geopolitical instability.
Trains between Britain and Europe on track to run every 15 minutes
LONDON — High-speed trains linking the U.K. to the continent through the Channel Tunnel may soon depart every 15 minutes — thanks to competition from new operators on the route. The number of daily services between London St Pancras and destinations like Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam is on track to rise from the 25 round trips currently operated by Eurostar each day to 55 by the end of the decade — around four departures per hour — according to POLITICO calculations.
Britain told EU citizens to trust its settled status system. Then it mixed up identical twins.
LONDON — The U.K.’s Brexit settlement scheme left a woman stranded at a foreign airport — after confusing her for her identical twin sister and stopping her from boarding her flight home. The error is the latest in a string of problems caused by the system’s design affecting tens of thousands of EU citizens living in Britain. When Brexit hit, EU nationals already resident in the U.K. at the time were given “settled status” granting them the right to stay once free movement ended.
Ed Miliband grabs Brexit reset role as he reboots UK Foreign Office
LONDON — The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in its ornate King Charles II Street HQ, is bracing for a shift of priorities under Ed Miliband. The new foreign secretary has embraced his post with vigor — a contrast to the more restrained style of his predecessor Yvette Cooper, who has moved to the health brief. Miliband, a former Labour leader, has made clear that he sees the development side of the brief – and his focus on climate change – as key aspects of the job.
EU proposes Brexit reset tuition fees compromise
LONDON — Britain’s new prime minister Andy Burnham is yet to turn his attention to the EU. When he does, Brussels is ready to offer a deal. Two people familiar with the EU’s thinking said the European Commission is open to a compromise on the thorny issue of tuition fees, which is currently holding up the reset talks started by Keir Starmer. Like his predecessor, Burnham has said building a closer relationship with Europe is a priority.
Hamish Falconer appointed UK’s new Brexit minister
LONDON — Labour MP Hamish Falconer has been appointed as the British government’s new EU relations minister, leading negotiations with the bloc. The new minister takes over from Nick Thomas-Symonds, a close ally of Keir Starmer, who left the government for the backbenches on Monday. Falconer, the MP for Lincoln who was first elected in 2024, has been a junior Foreign Office minister with responsibility for the Middle East since the general election.
Britain’s Brexit Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds axed in reshuffle
LONDON — Britain’s EU Relations Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is to leave government following Andy Burnham’s reshuffle. The Torfaen MP said in a letter to the new prime minister that he was stepping down “following our conversation.” The close ally of Keir Starmer, who was delivering the prime minister’s EU reset, said Burnham had his “full support.” As Cabinet Office minister, Thomas-Symonds also had responsibility for other policy areas including public inquiries and civil service reform.
The EU’s new border system gets confused by identical twins
LONDON — The European Union’s new digital border system was meant to bring travel into the 21st century. Unfortunately, it gets confused by identical twins.
Brexit gives Gibraltar open borders with the EU
LONDON — The 118-year-old border between Gibraltar and Spain will disappear on Wednesday. You can thank Brexit. July 15 will be the culmination of a decade of uncertainty for the British Mediterranean territory, which back in 2016 voted by 95.9 percent to stay in the EU — but was pulled out against its will. Life immediately became harder for the thousands of people who cross the Gibraltar-Spain border every day, including 15,000 Spaniards who go to work in the territory.
Starmer’s worst welcome gifts for Burnham — rated
LONDON — Keir Starmer — the departing British prime minister — has left some particularly nasty policy choices for his successor to grapple with as he walks out of Downing Street. From an unfunded defense investment plan to a controversial social media ban for teens, POLITICO runs through and rates the four big policy headaches presumptive prime minister Andy Burnham will have to resolve when he arrives in No. 10. 1.
EU pushing for speedy deal with UK after new PM
BRUSSELS — The European Union hopes the change of leadership in the U.K. won’t slow down a deal on the long-discussed Brexit reset. The Commission — the bloc’s executive arm — is planning on finalizing long-running negotiations on agricultural and trade issues in the days and weeks after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s eventual successor takes over, four European diplomats and officials working on the issues told POLITICO, granted anonymity to speak frankly.
What’s in Andy Burnham’s Brexit in-tray?
LONDON — Andy Burnham looks set to take over as U.K. prime minister within weeks. One thing he won’t be able to ignore is Britain’s relationship with the EU. The U.K.’s outgoing leader, Keir Starmer, has spent the last year negotiating a series of agreements with Brussels. Burnham will be taking over mid-season. The agreements were due to be concluded at a summit on July 22 — a date that was put on the calendar just a week before Starmer suddenly announced his resignation.
Andy Burnham feared Brexit. Soon he may have to fix it.
Cautious optimism gradually turned to despair at the Remain campaign’s official results party on June 23, 2016. Activists and door-knockers mingled with government ministers over a curry buffet and warm wine, at first paying little attention to the televisions dotted around the Southbank Centre’s conference suite. While the EU referendum result looked close, the final polls had given their side — which included the leaders of all four of the U.K.’s biggest political parties — the advantage.
EU-UK summit postponed as Keir Starmer resigns
LONDON — The EU-U.K. summit planned for next month will be postponed, the president of the European Council has said. António Costa said he hoped that Starmer’s successor as prime minister would give “continuity” to the plans to reset the cross-channel relationship. The meeting was meant to take place on July 22 to conclude talks on an agrifood agreement, an emissions trading deal, and a youth mobility scheme.
Keir Starmer’s EU summit turns into another headache
LONDON — Keir Starmer wants to forge a closer relationship between Britain and the EU. So far, nobody’s thanking him for it. Brussels is playing hard-to-get, U.K. lawmakers have accused the government of “waffle,” and Starmer himself could be out of the job before his moment rolls around. The plan is to use a summit scheduled for the summer to sign up to more EU rules — with the aim of bringing economic benefits to Britain’s sputtering economy.
UK publishes former Prince Andrew trade envoy files
LONDON — The U.K. government has published a cache of documents relating to the appointment of the former Prince Andrew as its trade envoy. Lawmakers compelled the release of the documents in February as they seek to shed light on the thinking in government at the time of the decision in 2001. MPs will scrutinize the files, published by the business department, to see if Peter Mandelson, once a leading figure in the Labour Party, played a role in his appointment.
Brexit is already dominating the battle to replace Keir Starmer
LONDON — Keir Starmer looks headed for a bitter Labour leadership contest. And, like it or not, Britain’s relationship with the EU will be on the ballot paper. Britain’s prime minister is reeling from dire election results, and his potential rivals are circling. While no formal contest has yet been triggered, the shadow-boxing has begun. Ambitious former minister Wes Streeting has made his first move. The popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, thinks he’s found a way into parliament.
Europe ‘clarifies’ how human rights apply to migration
CHIȘINĂU, Moldova — European governments have agreed to “clarify” how the European Convention on Human Rights applies in migration cases — in a bid to fend of populist attacks on the 75-year-old agreement. At a meeting in the Moldovan capital Chișinău on Friday, the 46 member countries of the Council of Europe published a declaration giving the green light to national courts to set a “high” bar for the application of some rights.
UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns
BRUSSELS — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plans for a major reset with the EU risk falling flat if he doesn't relax his negotiating “red lines.” The embattled U.K. Labour leader vowed to put his country “at the heart of Europe,” as part of efforts to shore up support and shrug off calls for his resignation, following dismal local election results.
UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns
2 hours ago The government has hit an interim target for speeding up hospital treatment in England. The goal was for 65% of patients to be treated within 18 weeks by March 2026 – and it hit that, but only just, with the figure reaching 65.3%. It was seen as the first stepping stone to hitting the 92% target by …
Keir Starmer leaves door open to ditching his Brexit red lines
LONDON — Keir Starmer has left the door open to ditching his Brexit red lines at the next general election — as he fights to save his premiership from a leadership challenge. The U.K. prime minister is fighting for his political life after a disastrous set of local elections and calls from his own party for him to quit over the results.
Keir Starmer leaves door open to ditching his Brexit red lines
11 hours ago On Wednesday, Charles III will deliver the King's Speech, setting out the government's planned new laws for the next Parliamentary session and beyond. The speech will be scrutinised even more intensely than usual as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to relaunch his premiership after a disastrous set of …
EU to appoint Jukka Salovaara as new ambassador to UK
BRUSSELS — The European Union will appoint a senior Finnish diplomat as its new ambassador to the United Kingdom, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pushes for a new rapprochement with the bloc. Jukka Salovaara, who has served as state secretary in Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expected to take the role of EU ambassador in London, three EU diplomats and officials familiar with the confirmation process, granted anonymity to discuss the as-yet-announced appointment, told POLITICO.
Quitting ECHR would group Britain with Russia, rights chief warns
LONDON — Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would put the U.K. in a select group with the autocracies of Russia and Belarus, the head of the organization that oversees the treaty has warned. Speaking to POLITICO on a visit to London, Alain Berset said there would be “consequences” for Britain if it left the regional human rights framework, which the U.K. founded with other countries in 1950.
EU’s Made in Europe plan is ‘waste of energy,’ UK trade chief says
BERLIN — Brussels’ Made in Europe plan risks turning Europe into a “closed shop” and holding the continent’s economy back, the U.K.’s trade secretary has said. Speaking to POLITICO on a visit to Berlin, Peter Kyle said the idea of privileging EU production over other countries was a “waste of energy” and would not help European businesses grow. “Protectionism doesn't lead to magnetism when you're looking outside in. It's the opposite.
EU’s Made in Europe plan is ‘waste of energy,’ UK trade chief says
EU’s Made in Europe plan is ‘waste of energy,’ UK trade chief says Speaking to POLITICO on a visit to Berlin, Peter Kyle said the idea would not help European businesses grow. BERLIN — Brussels’ Made in Europe plan …
St George’s Day: Who was the dragon-slayer and why is he England’s patron saint?
The earliest known depictions of the dragon slaying story comes from 10th or 11th Century Cappadocia and Georgia in which George dispatched a giant monster living in lake in Libya England's patron saint, St George, will be celebrated this Thursday 23 April. The day is synonymous with public displays of the English flag – the red cross on a white background – and is celebrated by Christian churches.
‘Volatile’ world requires Britain to get close to EU, Starmer says
LONDON — The “volatile” international situation requires Britain to build a closer relationship with the European Union, Keir Starmer has said. Addressing reporters at Downing Street on Wednesday the U.K. prime minister said London and Brussels will flesh out plans for “closer economic cooperation” and tighter security ties at an upcoming summit.
Keir Starmer’s pick-and-choose Brexit deal faces uphill battle
LONDON — Keir Starmer wants to strike a pick-and-choose deal for access to the EU single market. But he faces an uphill battle convincing Brussels. With his government struggling in the polls, the British prime minister is doubling down on one policy area that’s going down fairly well: his Brexit reset. Buoyed by a largely drama-free political reception to rapprochement with Brussels, Starmer wants to take the U.K. further into the bloc’s single market — but only the bits that suit him.
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