This year marked the first full year of the newly elected Labour government, a government with stated ambitions of rebuilding the UK-EU relationship after years of Conservative neglect.
We entered the year with the knowledge that the inaugural UK-EU summit was fast approaching and presented a vital opportunity to build momentum in the reset with our European neighbours.
Given the government’s stated “red-lines” on the relationship reset - outlined within their 2024 manifesto - we knew that our policy suggestions before the reset must not include a return to freedom of movement or entering the single market or customs union.
The necessity of a rejuvenated UK-EU relationship was brought into sharp focus in late 2024 with the re-election of President Trump in the United States. A second term for President Trump seemed likely to lead to an increase in US trade protectionism and tariffs given the pledges made during the campaign.
In preparation for both the inauguration of President Trump and the upcoming UK-EU summit, Best for Britain commissioned a report by Frontier Economics outlining the economic benefits of deep alignment in goods and services for the UK and the EU (with and without US tariffs).
The results of the report were hugely impressive and showed the incredible potential for deeper alignment between the UK and EU to galvanise growth and protect both parties from potential US tariffs.
Utilising the 114 recommendations within our Trading our way to prosperity (2023) report we outlined several key policy areas that the government should prioritise ahead of the summit.
Supported by the evidence of expert witnesses and parliamentarians from the UK Trade and Business Commission and cutting edge polling we launched our A ‘Common Sense’ Deal campaign. The A ‘Common Sense’ Deal called for deep alignment in goods and services, an SPS deal, a youth mobility scheme, and exemptions for touring artists and work professionals moving between the UK and the EU.
Our campaign proved remarkably successful; tens of thousands wrote to their local MP, over a million people saw our in-person and online ads, and we held countless stakeholder meetings with politicians and business leaders. In total 42 of our policy recommendations from our Trading our way to prosperity report were adopted after the summit.