The resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer means that the abolition of mandatory phytosanitary inspections of flowers and plants, as well as checks at the UK border, could be delayed. Starmer’s successor, Andy Burnham, is waiting in the wings. How does he view international trade?
The resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was bad news for trading companies exporting flowers and plants to the United Kingdom. A summit between the senior leaders of the European Union and the United Kingdom had been scheduled to take place in Brussels at the end of July. Politicians were expected to sign a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement there, known as an SPS deal.
The agreement would put an end to mandatory phytosanitary inspections of plants and five types of flowers destined for the UK. An SPS deal would have made certain costs and border delays a thing of the past. The deal had been expected to enter into force in July 2027, but Starmer’s resignation led to the EU-UK summit being postponed. The summit is now reportedly due to take place in autumn 2026, which may in turn delay the implementation of the SPS deal.
