The UK and the EU hail a new chapter as they sign fresh deals 5 years after Brexit

LONDON (AP) — Britain and the European Union hailed a new chapter in their relationship Monday after sealing fresh agreements on defense cooperation and easing trade flows at their first formal summit since Brexit.

Five years after the U.K. left the EU, ties were growing closer again as Prime Minister Keir Starmer met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials in London for talks.

The deals will slash red tape, grow the British economy and reset relations with the 27-nation trade bloc, Starmer said, while von der Leyen called the talks a “historic moment” that benefits both sides.

“Britain is back on the world stage,” Starmer told reporters. “This deal is a win-win.”

He hailed Monday’s agreements — the third package of trade deals struck by his government in as many weeks following accords with the U.S. and India — as “good for jobs, good for bills and good for our borders.”

But Britain's opposition parties slammed the deals as backtracking on Brexit and “surrendering” anew to the EU. “We’re becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again," Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said.

Here are the main takeaways from the summit:

Officials said they will remove some routine border checks on animal and plant products and align with EU regulations, which will reduce costs on food imports and exports and make it easier for goods to flow freely across borders.

Businesses have complained about trucks waiting for hours at borders with fresh food that cannot be exported to the EU because of laborious post-Brexit certifications.

The changes will mean the U.K. can sell products like raw British burgers, sausages and seafood to the EU again, officials said. The benefits will apply also to movements between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, where post-Brexit customs checks have been a thorny issue for years.

While the EU is the U.K.’s largest trading partner, the government said the U.K. has been hit with a 21% drop in exports since Brexit because of more onerous paperwork and other non-tariff barriers.

A new security and defense partnership will pave the way for the U.K. defense industry to access a new EU loan program worth 150 billion euros ($170 billion.) That will allow Britain to secure cheap loans backed by the EU budget to buy military equipment, in part to help Ukraine defend itself.

The EU has said that the loan program will help boost the readiness of European defense as well as enable more coordinated support for Ukraine.

The deal included a 12-year extension of an agreement allowing EU fishing vessels to operate in U.K. waters until 2038, which angered U.K. fishermen and their supporters.

While economically minor, fishing has long been a sticking point and symbolically important issue for the U.K. and EU member states such as France. Disputes over the issue nearly derailed a Brexit deal back in 2020.

Elspeth Macdonald, head of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, called the agreement a “horror show for Scottish fishermen” that was granted in order to secure other objectives. Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the deal was “the direct opposite of what was promised by Brexit."

Post-Brexit visa restrictions have hobbled cross-border activities for professionals such as bankers or lawyers, as well as academic and cultural exchanges, including touring bands.

The U.K. and EU said they agreed to co-operate on a youth mobility plan that’s expected to allow young Britons and Europeans to live and work temporarily in each other’s territory, though no details were provided.

British officials insisted that numbers would be capped and stays would be time-limited.

The free movement of people remains a politically touchy issue in the U.K., with the youth mobility plan seen by some Brexiteers as inching back toward completely free movement for EU nationals to move to the U.K. The U.K. has similar youth mobility arrangements with countries including Australia and Canada.

British passport holders will be able to use e-gates at more European airports as part of the deal.

Since Brexit, many British travelers cannot use automated gates when they arrive at EU airports. The new measure will end “the dreaded queues at border control," officials said.

Britain's opposition parties have criticized Starmer's bid to reset relations with the EU. The pro-Brexit and anti-immigration Reform U.K. party, which recently won big in local elections, and the Conservatives have called the trade-offs in the deals a betrayal of Brexit.

Starmer is "taking us backwards. We left the European Union. That was settled, we drew a line under that,” said Badenoch, the Conservative leader. “This deal is taking us to the past and that is why we call it surrender.”

Starmer stressed that he did not violate his “red lines”: The U.K. won’t rejoin the EU’s frictionless single market and customs union, and will not agree to the free movement of people between the U.K. and the EU.

David Henig, a U.K. trade policy expert at the European Centre for International Political Economy, suggested that while some will continue to argue against agreeing to EU regulations, most Britons likely believe it's time to move forward.

“Simply following EU rules in some areas is going to be controversial to those who thought that Brexit means casting off all influence from the EU entirely,” he said. “That wasn’t realistic for a trading nation like the UK., where 50% of our trade is with the EU.”

Pan Pylas and Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed reporting.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smile as they leave at the end of a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa following a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks with members of the Royal Navy on board Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland in central London, following the UK-EU Summit, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a reception following the UK-EU summit, in London, Monday May 19, 2025. (Hannah McKay/Pool via AP)

European Council President Antonio Costa speaks during a meeting between the U.K. and the European Union to discuss closer ties in their first official summit since Brexit, in London, Monday, May 19, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, greets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she arrives with European Council President Antonio Costa to attend a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, kisses European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she arrives with European Council President Antonio Costa to attend a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

European Council President Antonio Costa, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrive to attend a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, stands for a photo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, right, ahead of a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, kisses European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she arrives with European Council President Antonio Costa to attend a United Kingdom and European Union summit at Lancaster House, London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center, arrives to attend the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House, in London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office for the Constitution and European Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds greets EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic, right, as he arrives to attend the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House, in London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, foreground, arrives to attend the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House, in London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, arrives to attend the UK-EU Summit at Lancaster House in London, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Henry Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, left, and Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom greet each other, ahead of their bilateral meeting at the 6th European Political Community summit Friday May 16, 2025 in Tirana, Albania. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP, File)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Senegal and Congo served notice of their intent with convincing wins at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, when Tanzania and Tunisia grabbed the last places in the knockout stage.

Senegal, the 2021 champion, survived Kalidou Koulibaly’s sending off on his 100th appearance for the team by routing Benin 3-0 in Group D in Tangier. Congo finished second in the group on goal difference with a 3-0 win over already eliminated Botswana in Rabat.

Senegal, Congo and Benin were already assured of their places in the last 16.

But Tanzania and Tunisia were not. They progressed from Group C by playing out a 1-1 draw that eliminated Angola.

Feisal Salum’s goal for Tanzania, which canceled out Ismaël Gharbi’s penalty, sent the Taifa Stars to the last 16 as one of the six groups’ best third-place finishers.

Angola, which finished third in Group B, had been hoping for a favor from Tunisia to beat Tanzania and another from Nigeria, which complied by defeating Uganda 3-1.

But Tanzania’s goal proved the difference. Both Tanzania and Angola finished with two points and a goal difference of -1. Salum’s goal meant the Taifa Stars had scored more in the group stage (Tanzania's three goals vs. Angola’s two), meaning they go through to the next round.

“I hope this will be a reminder to these players and the next generation of players on the potential of Tanzanian football,” Taifa Stars coach Miguel Gamondi said.

Tunisia advances as Group C runner-up, but it wasn’t enough to appease its fans, who whistled the team after supporting it in the rain in Rabat.

“We may not have played the best way possible, but we are very happy to have qualified,” Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi said.

The game started with intensity and desperation usually only seen in the final minutes with the Carthage Eagles besieging the Tanzanian goal.

Gharbi rattled the left post and tried an audacious shot from near the halfway line, while tackles went flying from both sides.

Tunisia got a break when Ibrahim Hamad was penalized after a VAR check for dragging back Hazem Mastouri. Gharbi converted the penalty in the 43rd.

Salum's reply came after the break with a low shot that skidded along the wet grass inside the left post.

With his team already assured of top spot, Nigeria coach Eric Chelle opted to rest many of his regulars including Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Bright Osayi-Samuel. Victor Osimhen played from the start.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru crossed for Paul Onuachu to score with a simple finish in the 28th, and Uganda’s slim hopes were effectively ended early in the second half. Goalkeeper Denis Onyango was unable to resume after the break, and his replacement Salim Magoola was sent off in the 50th for handling the ball outside the penalty area. Magoola couldn’t resist stopping a shot from Osimhen.

Uganda’s third-choice goalkeeper Nafian Alionzi soon conceded when Raphael Onyedika shot the ball between his legs for 2-0 in the 62nd, five minutes before Onyedika got another goal.

Rogers Mato restored some Ugandan pride in the 75th with a fine chip over Francis Uzoho in the Nigeria goal.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Senegal's Sadio Mane gestures during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Benin and Senegal in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly is shown a red card during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Benin and Senegal in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A senegalese fan cheers during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Benin and Senegal in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Tanzania's Haji Mnoga, left, and Tunisia's Ali Abdi compete for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Tanzania's players pose before the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Tanzania's Simon Msuva controls the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations group C soccer match between Tanzania and Tunisia in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)