British public want deeper economic ties with the EU, business secretary says

Business secretary Peter Kyle said the British public favour pragmatic steps to deepen trade and economic ties with the EU as he signed a cooperation deal on competition in Brussels, and EU officials described the agreement as reinforcing good cooperation.

The business secretary, Peter Kyle, signed a cooperation agreement in Brussels to work closely with the EU on competition matters and said the British public are not nostalgic for the pre‑Brexit past. He described the deal as a vindication of a reset in UK–EU relations since Labour took office and said voters backed a forward‑looking approach. European Commission executive vice‑president Teresa Ribera called it a privilege to sign the deal and said it reinforced good cooperation. Kyle also referenced shared challenges on mergers and acquisitions and said the UK wants to engage on initiatives such as a possible "Made in Europe" procurement scheme. Key details: - Peter Kyle signed an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely with the EU on competition policy and enforcement. - Kyle said the public support pragmatic efforts to deepen economic and trade ties and are "not nostalgic" for the pre‑Brexit past. - European Commission executive vice‑president Teresa Ribera described the signing as reinforcing current cooperation with the UK. - The UK has expressed interest in joining a proposed "Made in Europe" procurement initiative, though there is debate within the EU about its scope. - Kyle said the UK–EU trade and cooperation agreement negotiated under the previous government was "not comprehensive enough or ambitious enough." - On the separate US trade front, Kyle said he hoped for clarity from the US administration in the coming days, and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer said he intended to stick to a 10% tariff the UK had secured. Summary: The agreement reflects closer engagement between the UK and EU on competition policy and signals interest from both sides in deeper economic cooperation. A proposed EU procurement initiative is expected next week and discussions with the US administration were described as likely to produce further clarity in the coming days.