Why has Labour's Brexit reset with the EU faltered?

Not for the first time, this government finds itself stumbling into the gap between its pre-election rhetoric and post-election realities.

- SEAN O'GRADY

Even though Labour’s pledge to “reset” the Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson was couched in the most cautious terms, hopes of something more were inevitably raised among pro-Europeans – a significant slice of Labour’s support.

However, even some of the prime minister’s most modest proposals seem to be running into difficulty – from the European Union. In a highly embarrassing development for a party that sought to rebuild friendly relations, the EU is taking the government to court…

What’s the beef in Brussels?

Bloc officials are upset that the 3.5 million EU citizens resident in the UK on a long-term basis aren’t being treated in accordance with the UK-EU withdrawal agreement. The main problem is that the existing paper “certificate of application” indicating a right to enter, live and work in the UK is being replaced by a digital version, and that the Home Office has ended the phone enquiry line that airlines, employers and others used to verify the ID. The rights of workers and extended family are also at issue. The EU Commission is also suing over Britain’s failure to terminate bilateral investment deals with six EU countries that the commission said overlapped and clashed with EU law.

Anything else?

Yes. The EU wants something in return for “tearing down trade barriers” as the British propose. Specifically, it’s no secret that their key demands are: more access to UK fisheries; a “youth experience scheme” that allows young people aged 18 to 30 to work, travel and study anywhere in the UK and 27 member states for a few years, on a reciprocal basis; and some role for the Court of Justice of the European Union.

What’s wrong with that?