British economist and Professor Jonathan Portes (King’s College, London) explores how UK—EU relations have developed since the entry of the Labour government in July 2024. He explains that while regret among many is felt in Britain, not a single step of reintegration would be easy in the foreseeable future. There has been talk about some "low hanging fruits” (e.g. student mobility), but this also would require some political courage and concentration.

Nevertheless, the EU and the UK share some serious concerns like economic competiveness, on which they could work together. While the UK historically assumed to have a special relationship with the US, now it also is a target for the new trade wars promised by Trump. This might become another factor pushing the EU and UK together into a common effort to uphold multilateralism and a relatively open international trade system.