The EU-UK summit penciled in for 22 July will not go ahead as planned. European Council president António Costa said as much within hours of Keir Starmer’s resignation announcement. “For sure we need to postpone it, but we are reassessing the opportunity to hold this new summit,” he said.
The date had been announced only the week before, after weeks of delay. Andy Burnham looked highly likely to succeed Starmer without facing a contest, and Starmer’s last big appearance abroad could be the Nato summit in Ankara on 7-8 July. Costa added a wish: “that [Starmer’s] successor will give continuity on this path to reset our relationship with the UK.”
Praise from Brussels and Kyiv
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen posted on social media soon after Starmer spoke. “It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years,” she wrote. “European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you.” Costa said that under Starmer “we turned a new page in EU-UK relations.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thanked him for support and added: “Keir, you are always a welcome guest in Ukraine.” Kyiv had voiced frustration with UK backing early in Starmer’s term. A spokesperson for German chancellor Friedrich Merz called Starmer “a reliable and close partner in foreign policy questions, particularly regarding Ukraine.” He is expected at a Berlin meeting of the E5 (Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Poland) on Wednesday to prepare for the Nato summit.
Australia’s Anthony Albanese said politics “can also be a harsh business.” Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre pointed to agreements that brought the two countries closer. The Kremlin’s chief spokesperson was blunter, saying Starmer had “not done anything to distinguish himself” on British-Russian relations.
Trump’s verdict
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social before Starmer’s announcement that he “failed badly” on immigration and energy and added, “I wish him well!” Asked by reporters, he called Starmer “a lovely man” who had “really hurt himself.” Relations had soured over Nato, Chagos, a refusal to join the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, and the time Britain took to approve use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. “He said we can’t use the island to land. That was a first,” Trump said.
What the summit was for
Both sides hoped to sign a food and drink deal to ease border checks, a link between emissions trading systems and a youth mobility programme. Ties had improved since Rishi Sunak’s 2023 Northern Ireland Brexit deal and warmed after Starmer won power in July 2024, although many EU officials thought his reset hopes unrealistic. A security partnership was signed in May 2025, but no deal was reached on British participation in the EU’s €150bn Safe defence loans scheme.
Germany’s former Europe minister Micael Roth told the Guardian this month: “We very much hoped for a more stable government.”
The summit later got a new timetable. According to Espreso.tv, King Charles III confirmed Burnham as prime minister on 20 July, and Europe minister Hamish Falconer is leading preparation for the rescheduled meeting, with food access to the EU market, energy cooperation and the carbon border mechanism among the priorities.
Sources
- European leaders pay tribute to Starmer as EU-UK summit is postponed
- Summit with EU Postponed as UK Gets New Prime Minister; Minister Drafts Fresh Business Deals – all the latest news today – 112.ua
Sources
- European leaders pay tribute to Starmer as EU-UK summit is…
- Summit with EU Postponed as UK Gets New Prime Minister…
