State of Britain: EU-UK rapprochement woes

Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform unpicks the options beautifully in this piece in which he concludes that “pursuing an incremental approach” is going to be the most sure-footed way to build trust and overcome long-standing differences.

He notes, for example, that the Gibraltar issue has held up implementing a deal signed by the Conservatives to facilitate troop movements across the EU. Reaching agreement with Spain over post-Brexit arrangements for Gibraltar is a key target for Lammy this autumn, but it shows how EU negotiations don’t happen in isolation.

So rather than seeking a full-blown, legally binding agreement that could get bogged down in internally divisive issues such as UK companies accessing EU defence procurement schemes, Scazzieri says the two sides should stick to a looser joint declaration. In short: baby steps.