Fears are mounting that the UK could face fresh payments to Brussels as Sir Keir Starmer pushes for closer ties with the EU.
UK could be asked to hand over more money to Brussels (Image: Getty)
Concerns are growing that the UK could be asked to hand over more money to Brussels amid fresh negotiations between Sir Keir Starmer’s Government and the European Union. Discussions have begun on a potential electricity trading agreement with the EU, which ministers believe could help reduce household energy bills by allowing the UK to re-link with the bloc’s internal electricity market.
However, critics warn that access to the system could come at a cost. EU officials are widely expected to push for UK contributions to the bloc’s cohesion fund, a scheme used to support less wealthy regions across Europe, raising fears of another post-Brexit financial commitment.
Sir Keir has pledged to continue moving Britain towards a closer relationship with the EU (Image: Getty)
The talks come just days after the Prime Minister agreed for Britain to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme, a move estimated to cost UK taxpayers up to £6 billion over seven years.
That figure is around three times higher than a contribution previously rejected by Boris Johnson during Brexit negotiations.
Sir Keir has also pledged to continue moving Britain towards a closer relationship with the EU, following an earlier agreement that extended access for French fishing vessels to British waters for a further 12 years, a deal criticised by opponents as a major concession.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel accused the Prime Minister of repeatedly giving ground to Brussels.
“Having agreed to hand the EU billions through the Erasmus deal for seemingly very little in return, Sir Keir Starmer is now considering yet another payment to Brussels,” she told the Mail.
“Voters will question whether he is truly standing up for Britain’s interests.”
The Government insists no blank cheque is on the table. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister overseeing the so-called Brexit reset, said the UK would not make general payments into the EU budget as part of any electricity deal. He argued that closer energy co-operation could lower costs for British families.
Despite those assurances, it is understood Labour is open to the idea of limited or “fair” financial contributions if they help secure access to the market, potentially allowing UK energy firms to trade electricity more freely with EU countries.
Former chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost criticised the direction of talks, warning Britain could end up bound by EU rules once again.
“The only thing we would gain from this is being subject to EU laws that we have no say over, don’t suit us and cannot change,” he said.
Government sources have sought to play down the row, insisting the UK has made clear it will not contribute to the EU’s cohesion fund and that any agreement must respect British sovereignty.
Nonetheless, the renewed negotiations have reignited the Brexit debate, with critics accusing Sir Keir of quietly reversing key elements of the UK’s departure from the EU, and potentially sending British money back to Brussels in the process.
