Dear John,

This week marked the culmination of weeks of speculation, preamble, and fevered, eleventh-hour negotiations. It was, of course, Keir Starmer’s long-awaited UK-EU reset summit, held at Lancaster House, which saw Britain take a vital first step towards improved relations with our European neighbours. We should celebrate this welcome rapprochement with our largest market, but not forget how much further we have to go.

It was also the week that saw the Prime Minister roll the pitch for a possible U-turn on the means testing of pensioners’ winter fuel payments, live at PMQs; and Michael Gove take up his seat in the House of Lords. 

Here’s your Weekend Wire.

Reset the clock

When: Monday, May 19

Where: Lancaster House, central London

Who: Keir Starmer, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Council President Antonio Costa

What: The UK and the EU have signed up to a new agreement intended to address issues arising post-Brexit. From defence, travel and youth mobility to cheaper food and cutting costs for businesses, some will take effect quickly, while others will require further negotiations. Read our detailed breakdown of exactly what the deal means for us, right here… 

Yay or nay? In welcome news, the signed agreement included 42 of Best for Britain’s 114 recommendations from our own policy roadmap to fix the mess of the Brexit deal - ‘Trading Our Way to Prosperity’ - first published in 2023, by the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC). See the full list here. However, the hard yards of turning this start into reality truly begins now.

Airwaves: Our CEO Naomi Smith was on hand to explain all the details to LBC and BBC West Midlands listeners - catch some of her insights here - and read her in-depth take via the LBC website. 

For even more coverage, Andrew Lewin, Labour MP and UKTBC chairman, spoke to Times Radio’s Kait Borsay on Monday’s Evening Edition. Catch him making the passionate case for youth mobility - now catchily rebranded the Youth Experience Scheme (say yes to YES, anyone?)  

Yes, yes, but what’s next? UK-EU summits are an awful lot like family Christmases. Weeks of anticipation, ongoing rows over politics, TV channels airing repeats (of the Brexit years), gifts (to headline writers), and a lot of chat about various meats. And, of course, as soon as Boxing Day dawns, people immediately start counting down to the next one. 

That shows no sign of changing, as the government and the European Commission have now committed to annual summits. Dates are as yet unspecified, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to mark your calendars for around May 2026, when the first review of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement is slated to take place.

We’ll keep you posted on all the developments, and our campaigning work, right here, every week…

Time to OpenDemocracy 

Why did the UK’s ‘free speech’ government ban protest? OpenDemocracy's Sian Norris spent six months investigating the reasons behind - and repercussions of - the controversial protest laws introduced by the Conservatives, and why Labour isn't making any efforts to repeal them. 

If you want to read more stories from OpenDemocracy, sign up to their newsletter

U-notice a u-turn if you want to

With frowns to the left of him and poker (faces) to the right, Starmer finally succumbed to the inevitable building of pressure over the government’s means testing of pensioners’ winter fuel payments. The PM signalled a partial U-turn, stating that he wanted to look at widening eligibility for the payments, worth up to £300, at the next fiscal statement - which could be either the June spending review or the Autumn Budget. 

However, government officials were unable to say how many more pensioners would be eligible, or when they might get the cash. In what’s becoming something of a pattern, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch seemed not to notice Starmer screeching the brakes, as she continued to needle him on when the U-turn would come “as it will”. Cue uproarious laughter from the (relieved) Labour benches…

In an unexpected pairing this week, Labour UK Stella Creasy and deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice joined forces to lead a Westminster Hall debate on the UK-EU reset summit.

One highlight came via former international development secretary Anneliese Dodds who took the opportunity to - politely - take Tice to task over his approach to freedom of movement.

“The proposed measures on youth mobility… [are] a ladder to opportunity,” Dodds stressed.

“I benefited from a brief period studying in France and I hope the honourable gentleman won't mind if I mention - I believe it’s a matter of public record - that he worked in France previously. 

“I don't believe the ladder of opportunity that we both benefited from should be kept down on the ground for others.”

Watch the full moment here.

Don’t miss: Byline Festival ‘Defending Truth and Democracy’

When: July 11-13 Where: Keele University

What: Conversation, political comedy, live music, film and art. A chance to challenge perspectives, spark meaningful discussions, and celebrate independent voices, Byline Festival is an unmissable weekend of inspiration and discovery – and connecting with people who care. 

Speakers include: Carol Vorderman, Kate Rayworth, Carole Cadwalladr, Lord Adebowale, Asif Kapadia, Dawn Butler MP, Naz Shah MP, Yasmin Alibhi-Brown, Rosie Holt, Hugh Davis, Pravanya Pillay and Kate Cheka.

Brought to you by Byline Times: known for fearless investigative journalism, reporting ‘what the other papers don’t say’, and holding the media accountable - and the government responsible. 

Use code BESTFORBRITAIN for 20% off ticket prices. www.bylinefestival.com

The good, the bad and the ugly

We were blessed this week with three different elections, from Bucharest to Lisbon via Warsaw millions of Europeans flocked to the ballot box.

The good: As the result was announced late on Sunday night, a rare sense of clarity befell the Romanian political system. For months the country has been in political turmoil after the initial presidential election result held in December was annulled due to suspected Russian interference. For the following five months the country has been dogged by protest by those who felt that the annulment amounted to a betrayal of democracy, including JD Vance in his now infamous Berlin address. 

The first round of the election saw far-right nationalist, Simion, win 41% of the vote, compared to just 21% for Dan, as the populist rode a wave of dissatisfaction over the annulment of the earlier election. But in a stunning turnaround, a much higher turnout over the weekend propelled the liberal, anti-corruption, and pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan to victory. Simion has since unsuccessfully called for the vote to be annulled and fired baseless accusations of foreign electoral interference, all rejected by the Romanian judiciary. 

The bad: Meanwhile, in Poland’s first-round presidential elections the front-runner and liberal Mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski, topped the ballot. However, the result has thrown serious doubt over Trzaskowski’s ability to win the upcoming run-off against the far-right nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki. Nawrocki finished within just two percentage points of the Warsaw Mayor (31.4% vs 29.5%), much closer than earlier polling had suggested. More worrying still, collectively far-right candidates performed well and collectively won just over 51% of the vote.

The success of the far-right during the first round of the presidential election will worry Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, who is hoping that Tzaskowski’s victory will push through his stymied agenda.

The ugly: Despite the positive result in Romania, right-wing populist parties are continuing to gain influence across Europe. On Sunday, elections in Portugal and Poland saw increased support for right-wing populist groups. In particular, the Portuguese election saw the far-right party Chega party achieve their greatest election result a mere six years after their formation. The nascent party almost replaced the Socialist Party in second place in an election which saw the governing centre-right Democratic Alliance win but fail to secure a majority.

Like Romania, Portuguese politics has been marked by volatility in recent years with three elections held in the country since 2022. The rise of Chega, who won just 7.2% in 2022, mirrors the rise of fellow populists around Europe, from the National Rally in France, to the AfD in Germany, and Vox in Spain.

Cringe Column 

This has been your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. Next week marks a Parliamentary recess - but continue to keep your eyes out for further reaction and analysis from the EU summit.  

Have a good one.

Jessica Frank-Keyes

Senior Press Officer

Best for Britain