Under discussion The key issues

Political alignment on Ukraine already exists and both the EU and the UK have been in lockstep on the cause of war, sanctions and caps on oil.

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Starmer will frame his EU reset as a break with the past, a moment to show how irrelevant many of the rows of the Brexit years now are and how a more stable, reliable UK can reap the rewards. But with an insurgent Nigel Farage - the most dogged foe of the Brexit era - advancing in the polls, there is always the potential for any deal to be politically toxic.

"It is fraught with risk but I think we have a landing zone," a No 10 source said of the comms battle to come. Another strategist said: "This is about seizing back control, on trade, on borders, on security, that is what people say time and time again that they want."

The summit is expected to produce three texts. The first is a defence and security partnership. This will not yet allow UK firms to bid into the €150bn (£125bn) defence fund, but could pave the way for them to do so in future.

The second will be an agreement on areas to lift trade barriers, a subject where fraught negotiations are still continuing. The most consequential will be negotiations to reach a new agreement on agrifoods, made easier by signs that the UK is willing to accept dynamic alignment with EU standards and a role for the European court of justice.

The final statement will be a political declaration of European solidarity. That statement will more than hint at a coming together in the face of international turmoil, the code often used for the actions of Donald Trump. On Thursday, the EU trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, repeatedly referred to the "paradigm shift" in global trade.

There will be other topics too. The most difficult is the youth mobility scheme, and cooperation on energy and carbon border taxes.