Bloomberg: Sunak instructed to develop a plan to restore relations between the UK and the EU

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has privately asked ministers and officials to come up with a plan to restore the country’s relations with the European Union, informed Bloomberg citing sources.

According to the publication, they should prepare proposals on how the UK can work more closely with EU countries in the areas of defense and migration, as well as trade, energy and others. Bloomberg notes that this decision was partly made by Sunak under the influence of the consequences of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.

The publication notes that British officials hope to be able in the coming days to announce the resolution of a long-standing dispute with the European Union over trade agreements with Northern Ireland. The premier’s team wants to use this success to improve relations with the EU in all areas.

One of the interlocutors of the publication said that the change in the UK’s strategy in relations with the EU shows the failure of Brexit.

The agency notes that Sunak will have to find a balance between ardent Brexit supporters in his party and persuade the Democratic Unionist Party to remove the veto from the delegated government of Northern Ireland. He will also have to face skepticism from European leaders, as the UK has had five prime ministers since Brexit who “treated the EU like a punching bag for their domestic audience.”

Bloomberg notes that the EU is more likely to welcome cooperation with the UK in the field of defense, since the country has the most powerful armed forces in Europe.

The UK held a referendum on leaving the EU on June 23, 2016. Then 51.9% of the British voted to leave the union. The process of agreeing on the parameters of further trade relations with the EU took the parties several years. Formally, the UK left the union on February 1, 2020, the transition period was completed on January 1, 2021.