LONDON — Britain and the European Union will hold their annual leaders summit on Nov. 20 in Brussels.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed the date in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.

Brussels and London want to use the meeting to sign off new agreements on agri-food trade, emissions trading, and a youth mobility scheme.

Burnham told the Commons he wanted to secure a deal on the agreements — begun by previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer — and then begin a “calm, clear-eyed, rational look” at even closer relations.

“If we are serious about promoting growth, controlling immigration, upholding our values and security, it is a conversation we must have,” he said.

“Sticking with the status quo is not good enough for Britain. Worse, it would be a major dereliction of duty to turn away.”

He added: “Our immediate priority is securing a successful outcome at the summit, and I believe we should then set up a serious dialogue about the different options for our relationship in the long term.”

The prime minister also said the meeting would present an opportunity to “raise our concerns about Made In Europe” — the EU’s program of protectionism which some countries want to exclude the U.K.

Burnham has previously suggested these future options could include rejoining the single market, customs union, or even the EU wholesale.

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition Conservative party, criticized the prime minister for focusing on the U.K.’s relationship with the EU.

“His exact words earlier this year were, ‘The last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments,’” she said.

“And yet, here he is unpicking the deal this country signed with the EU a decade after the referendum. He is not going to get a better deal. The EU are tough negotiators.”

She added: “Just like some people thought all of Britain’s problems would be solved by leaving the EU, some now think all our problems will be will be solved by rejoining. Neither of these are serious positions.”

In a statement issued while Burnham was speaking in Westminster, António Costa, president of European Council, which represents EU member countries, said improving cooperation was “essential.”

He said the three agreements under negotiation could be complemented by additional deals on a defence and security partnership, as well as on migration and law enforcement.

“The European Union and the United Kingdom are like-minded partners, united by common values and shared interests,” he said in a statement,” he said.

“Our security and prosperity are closely intertwined, making a strong partnership between us essential.

“By deepening our cooperation, we can strengthen our ability to address the challenges of our time, strengthen our resilience and promote stability in Europe and beyond.”

Costa and Burnham will be joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Nov. 20 meeting. Negotiations have been taking place since the previous summit in May 2025, which was attended by Starmer.

This year’s summit was intended to take place in July but was postponed following the collapse of Starmer’s administration.

LONDON — Germany wants the U.K. to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for protection from Made in Europe rules, according to a person familiar with Berlin’s position.

Friedrich Merz’s government believes the move would show reciprocity on trade and counter accusations from other EU member states that Britain is trying to “cherry pick” the benefits of EU membership, said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss closed-door talks.

It comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with the German chancellor on his first official visit to the country this week.

Burnham and Merz were due to talk about possibilities for Britain’s future relationship with the EU — after the British prime minister put rejoining the bloc back on the table of U.K. politics for the first time in a decade.

Berlin’s position on EV tariffs is significant as Germany has broadly backed a tolerant policy towards the U.K. on trade matters since Brexit — in contrast to more hard-line positions taken by countries like France.

The EU is in the process of drawing up new Made in Europe rules that would favor European producers over those outside the bloc — in response to trade practices by competitors like China and the United States.

The U.K. is worried that the measures will hit British business — especially automakers — and wants assurances from Brussels that it will get an opt out. If Berlin gets its way, those assurances could be dependent on emulating EU trade policy with regard to Chinese EVs.

Predatory strategy

Germany’s vaunted car industry, arguably the jewel in the country’s economic crown, has faced stiff competition from Chinese imports in recent years.

EU countries have accused China of dumping low-cost, state-subsidized electric vehicles into the European market and in December 2024 imposed countervailing duties as high as 35.3. percent on some manufacturers.

Industry Commissioner Stephane Séjourné accused China of pursuing a deliberate “predatory strategy” with state subsidies to the tune of €10,000 per vehicle.

The U.K.’s Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told POLITICO last month that the government was keeping tariffs “under review, to be frank, more closely than lots of other issues” and that “different parts of our own sector want different things from” the government’s policy.

Hamish Falconer, the U.K.’s minister for European relations, told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook Podcast this week that he was “surprised” at reports tariffs might be a condition of Made in Europe opt-outs, adding: “That’s not the kind of conversation that I’m having with my European counterparts.”

Going ahead with higher tariffs risks alienating Beijing, which has expressed serious concerns about the policy. It would also raise the price of electric vehicles on the market, potentially making it harder for the government to meet its decarbonization targets.

BRUSSELS — Britain is hopeful of doing a deal with the European Union to avoid British businesses being hit by new Made in Europe trade rules, the minister in charge of talks has said.

European Relations Minister Hamish Falconer told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook Podcast it was “overwhelmingly in both sides’ interests” to strike an agreement on the proposed controls.

“For Europe to be more competitive and able to weather some of the shocks that we’re all talking about, we need to do it together,” he said. “I think that’s such an overwhelmingly powerful case that I am sure we will come to a sensible position on all this.”

Brussels is in the process of updating its trade rules to favor EU producers over those outside the bloc — and London fears some of its businesses will be locked out.

The U.K. has urged the EU to guarantee that British producers won’t be affected. Brussels says it can’t give those guarantees now as the rules are still working their way through the bloc’s cumbersome legislative process.

Yet in the event a deal isn’t reached, London believes its Brexit trade deal, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), could force Brussels to think again.

“Our arrangements in terms of how we trade are underpinned by the TCA. That’s a strong arrangement between us which is independently overseen,” Falconer said.

“It provides lots of protections to both sides. Our basic position to our friends is, look, I don’t think European competitiveness is enhanced by putting further impediments in the way of our industrial base.”

There are those in Brussels who agree. In-house lawyers at the EU Council have advised member countries that the bloc’s plans for the Industrial Accelerator Act could violate the union’s international trade deals, according to documents seen by POLITICO.

Falconer suggested the U.K. wanted a “straightforward” and “unfussy” arrangement where U.K. goods were simply counted as being of Union origin under the IAA.

But the minister wouldn’t be drawn on whether success at the upcoming U.K.-EU summit demanded an agreement on Made in Europe — as London had previously briefed.

That meeting is meant to sign off talks on agri-foods, youth visas, and emissions trading — as well as act as a launchpad for further negotiations.

“I don’t wanna get ahead of the discussions. I used to be a diplomat; there’s no discussion or negotiation that is made easier by publicly broadcasting it,” Falconer said.

The bigger reset

The minister rejected suggestions the EU was demanding the U.K. raise tariffs on Chinese cars in exchange for guarantees on the IAA. He stated that he was “surprised” at reports to that effect, adding: “That’s not the kind of conversation that I’m having with my European counterparts.”

Yet a landing zone may be emerging. EU officials and diplomats have previously indicated that reference could still be made to the subject at the meeting — perhaps in the form of a political declaration.

Falconer, who was in Strasbourg on Wednesday for his first European Parliament plenary, confirmed that he would be discussing “future options with European partners” — following Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s suggestion the U.K. could rejoin the EU, or at least its customs union or single market.

He is using the visit to meet with Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, as well as European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Of the EU institutions debating the industry act, Parliament is pushing for the strictest line on the Made in Europe rules.

Asked what options he was personally pushing for when it came to the future U.K.-EU relationship, Falconer wouldn’t be drawn, revealing only that Burnham would “say more” in a speech scheduled for around “the time of the summit.”

The meeting still has no officially announced date, though Nov. 20 is the latest in a string of days widely rumored to have been penciled in by diary officials in Brussels and London.

“I have a date in mind, but I don’t want to say it just yet,” Falconer told the podcast. “We will agree that with our friends, and you’ll be the first to know.”