EU Rejects UK Proposal for Single Market Access

Brussels turned down a U.K. proposal to create a single market for goods with the European Union, according to media reports.

Nearly a decade after the country voted to leave the bloc, the EU and the U.K. are in the midst of widely renegotiating their relationship. A landmark summit between the two sides is expected to be held in the coming weeks.

The proposal by the British government, first reported by the Guardian, appears to be another sign that the U.K. under Prime Minister Keir Starmer is seeking significantly closer trade ties with the EU and is willing to blur previous red lines to get there.

The U.K.'s embattled leader recently vowed to put his country “at the heart of Europe,” as part of efforts to shore up support and shrug off calls for his resignation, following dismal local election results.

London's new single market proposal was presented by Michael Ellam, Starmer’s post-Brexit negotiator, during recent visits to Brussels, according to reports by the Guardian and other British media outlets. The reports also said that EU officials rejected the idea.

Attention is instead shifting to hashing out the details of existing negotiations between the EU and the U.K., according to a BBC report, that cites industry figures who were briefed on the ongoing talks. Those negotiations would include food, farm, and energy trade.

The European Commission said on Saturday that it would not comment on the media reports. "In view of the next EU-U.K. summit, we are working to conclude the key files of last year’s Common Understanding," a spokesperson for the Commission said.

"We also see scope to deepen cooperation where it matters most now," the spokesperson added, explicitly naming defense, support for Ukraine, innovation, and tackling irregular migration as possibilities for further cooperation.