Brexit & Beyond newsletter

3 March 2025

Welcome to the 3 March 2025 Brexit & Beyond newsletter

Last week the headlines were dominated by diplomatic meetings in the UK, EU and US. The Prime Minister visited President Trump in Washington DC before chairing a Leaders Meeting on Ukraine in London.

A delegation from the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee visited London for a series of high-level discussions aimed at reinforcing EU-UK financial cooperation and exploring key global economic challenges.

Intertrade UK, a key commitment in the Safeguarding the Union command paper, met for the first-time in Enniskillen on Friday. The panel, chaired by Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, will advise on opportunities to promote and boost trade across the UK.

 

 

 

UK international relations

It has been a busy week for the UK Prime Minister as he continues his diplomatic efforts in respect of Ukraine. High-level meetings, negotiations, and consultations have taken place, with a strong focus on security guarantees, economic aid, and potential pathways to a ceasefire.

The Prime Minister met President Trump last Thursday in Washington D.C. The UK and the US have one of the biggest trading relationships of any two countries in the world, worth around 400 billion dollars and supporting over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.  Following the meeting, Downing Street said:

“The leaders discussed the depth of the special relationship between their two nations and their commitment to shared security and prosperity. 

They spoke about the fair, balanced and reciprocal economic relationship that the two countries enjoy. They agreed their teams should work together to deepen this relationship, and to work together to agree a trade deal focused on tech. 

On defence and security, they agreed that the strength of the UK and US’s intelligence and defence relationship is unrivalled. The Prime Minister underlined the announcement he made this week to increase defence spending to 2.5%.”

The Prime Minister chaired a Leaders Meeting on Ukraine in London on 2 March 2025. His European counterparts including Türkiye, as well as the NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the EU Commission, EU Council and Canada, attended to discuss support for Ukraine. After the meeting the Prime Minister stated:

“We will work with President Trump to ensure a strong, just, and lasting peace that ensures Ukraine’s future sovereignty and security. Ukraine must be able to deter and defend itself against future Russian attack... We have agreed that the UK, France and others will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting which we will discuss further with the US and take forward together.”

He also said at a news conference that leaders had agree to develop a "coalition of the willing" to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee peace afterwards. 

 

European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee


From 24-26 February, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) visited London for a series of high-level discussions aimed at reinforcing EU-UK financial cooperation and exploring key global economic challenges.

The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee participated in a roundtable on EU-UK competitiveness, investment, and economic resilience on the third day of its visit to LondonThe European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee participated in a roundtable on EU-UK competitiveness, investment, and economic resilience on the third day of its visit to London

Day 1: Engaging with Key Financial Institutions
The visit kicked off with high-level meetings with major financial institutions including the FCA, Bank of England, Lloyd’s, and the Association for Financial Markets in Europe. The discussions revolved around regulatory cooperation, financial stability, fintech innovation, and sustainable finance. A big focus was on maintaining an open EU-UK dialogue, especially on emerging topics like crypto regulation and climate finance, highlighting the shared goal of resilient and forward-looking financial markets.

Day 2: Policy Dialogue in Westminster & Ukraine Reconstruction
The delegation then headed to Westminster for policy discussions with UK leaders, including Lord Livermore, Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Growth Minister), MPs from the Treasury Select Committee, and peers in the House of Lords... They tackled topics like economic growth strategies, regulatory frameworks, and financial markets, reinforcing the importance of continued EU-UK collaboration.

Day 3: Competitiveness, Investment, and Capital Markets
The final day featured a roundtable on EU-UK competitiveness, investment, and economic resilience, bringing together key stakeholders. MEPs also met City of London representatives to discuss capital markets, financial stability, and London's evolving role post-Brexit—a crucial conversation on London’s future as a global financial hub.

At the end of the visit, Eero Heinäluoma MEP (S&D), head of the Committee delegation, highlighted the significance of the discussions:

"Following the past three days of meetings with British institutions and industry here in London, we can only reaffirm the strong partnership between the UK and the EU, rooted in shared interests and a commitment to maintaining a fair and balanced economic environment to the benefit of our citizens."

 

European Diplomatic Co-operation

Last Tuesday, the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty MP) told the House of Commons that he, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Cabinet Office are engaging extensively with European counterparts. He said they are working closely with European allies, and are calling for increased defence spending and support for Ukraine. He noted that this “deeper engagement has already delivered results on growth and security, including a landmark defence and migration agreement with Germany.”


Asked about the ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine, the Minister highlighted that “security is at the heart” of the UK’s engagement with European counterparts. He stressed that “it is crucial that we stand with our Baltic neighbours and all of Europe when it comes to our collective security.”

 

Intertrade UK

The inaugural meeting of Intertrade UK took place on Friday in Enniskillen. The new body, chaired by Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, was established under Safeguarding the Union command paper. Members formally adopted the Terms of Reference, discussed and agreed a programme of work with key priorities to take forward over the next 18 months.

The NIO says that Intertrade UK will advise on opportunities to promote and boost trade across the UK. It will do this through promoting trade in goods and services across the UK and advising on overcoming identified barriers, considering how best businesses can take advantage of the full opportunities of the UK internal market, and conduct research and publish insights aimed at advancing domestic trade.

Members of Intertrade UK meeting in Enniskillen on Friday: Dr Esmond Birnie, Senior Economist, Ulster University; Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce; Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, Chair of Intertrade UK; Angela McGowan, Director for Northern Ireland, Confederation of British Industry; Kirsty McManus, Northern Ireland Director, Institute of Directors; and, Roger Pollen, Head of the Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland.Members of Intertrade UK meeting in Enniskillen on Friday: Dr Esmond Birnie, Senior Economist, Ulster University; Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce; Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, Chair of Intertrade UK; Angela McGowan, Director for Northern Ireland, Confederation of British Industry; Kirsty McManus, Northern Ireland Director, Institute of Directors; and, Roger Pollen, Head of the Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland.

 

Movement of Horticultural Goods

During Northern Ireland Questions last Wednesday, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Fleur Anderson MP told the House of Commons that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has met with horticultural suppliers, and that NI Office officials meet regularly with horticultural industry representatives. The horticultural working group met on Friday.  Establishment of this group was a commitment by the then Government in the Safeguarding the Union command paper as a means to ‘work through any remaining issues [with the Windsor Framework]’. Fleur Anderson MP reiterated the Government’s commitment to addressing the outstanding issues on horticultural products so they can move safely within the UK.

Fleur Anderson MP told the House that DEFRA officials are actively working with the companies most affected—particularly seed shipping businesses. Right now, shipping seeds is allowed with the right phytosanitary certificates, but it’s much easier for businesses to send seeds to each other than for consumers to get them in the post. Officials are figuring out how to smooth things out while staying within the Windsor Framework, and she said updated guidance should be available soon.

 

UK Border Strategy: Single Trade Window

On Tuesday in the House of Lords, The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Livermore) answered a question on the implementation of the Single Trade Window as set out in the 2025 UK Border Strategy (CP352) on behalf of the Government. He told the Lords that “ [i]n the context of a challenging fiscal inheritance, the Government paused the delivery of the single trade window as part of a wider value-for-money review across public spending.” He said the UK Government still plans to deliver a single trade window to support businesses trading across the UK border, and would provide an update as part of the next phase of the spending review.

 

Product Regulation and Metrology Bill

The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill was published on 4 September 2024. The Bill’s Explanatory Notes state that it “aims to support economic growth, provide regulatory stability and deliver more protection for consumers by… ensuring that the law can be updated to allow a means of recognising new or updated EU product requirements, with the intention of preventing additional costs for businesses and provide regulatory stability.” This means the government can align with EU standards when beneficial or create its own rules when it makes sense for businesses and consumers.

The Report Stage of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill commenced last Wednesday in the House of Lords. This stage allows elements of the Bill to be closely scrutinised and changes made. A second day of report stage is scheduled for Wednesday 5 March.

 

European Union Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

In response to written question AQW 21371/22-27, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister confirmed that EU Directive 2024/1760, to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour in companies’ operations and across their global value chains, has no impact on any of the six Windsor Framework Annex 1 directives.

They noted that “[a]nti-discrimination legislation is currently comprised of separate Acts which provide protection against discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion and political opinion, sex and sexual orientation.”

 

Other news

      • As previously reported, potential areas of consideration in the Agriculture Bill includes potential impacts on discretionary spend by DAERA. Peter McCann, reports in the Irish Farmers Journal that the Mushroom Producer Organisation recommend DAERA pause the Bill and prioritise the continuation of the existing scheme for another three years.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
      • Mark Hennessey, writing for the Irish Times, takes a look at the growth in cross-Border trade since the Good Friday Agreement. He also shares insights from the first-ever Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor conference, which took place in Belfast last Thursday.                                                                                                                                                                                                         
      • Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Republic of Ireland will take a “step-by-step” approach in response to any trade tariffs imposed on the EU by US President Donald Trump