The challenges ahead as UK, EU reset post-Brexit ties

The reboot acknowledges security and economic realities after the 2020 separation, but old suspicions are holding back a bolder new partnership.

- Jonathan Eyal

When an electronic device malfunctions, the usual cure is to try to reboot it or, in more problematic cases, return it to factory settings. True, you risk losing much of your work and the convenience of settings accumulated over time. But at least you stand a good chance of continuing to work with the device, rather than having to buy a new one.

That's more or less the logic behind the current dealings between Britain and the European Union. Almost a decade since the 2016 referendum that led to the British leaving the EU—the famous Brexit separation—the United Kingdom and the EU got together on May 19 for a summit in London to reset their relations.

Gone is the animosity of the past: The two sides publicly admit that they need each other, especially when it comes to defence and security. Yet all the past snags have also returned, including the restart of a bitter domestic political debate in Britain about just how much the country should rely on the EU.

As in the old days, Britain's tabloid press is yet again full of articles accusing the government of engaging in a "Brexit scam", while opposition politicians are accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of putting his signature to a "surrender agreement". Still, what is happening between Britain and the rest of Europe is significant for the rest of the world.

At first sight, Mr Starmer should be in a strong position to draft his country's relations with the EU in any way he wishes. His ruling Labour Party controls 403 out of the 650 parliamentary seats; his biggest rivals, the centre-right Conservatives, have a mere 120 MPs. No new general election is due until 2029.

THE EU TABOO Most of the Labour Party's MPs consider Brexit a vast mistake. All opinion polls indicate that a majority of the electorate shares the sentiment, and by widening margins; around 60 per cent of ordinary Britons think that Brexit was "wrong".