U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer abruptly resigned on the 22nd local time, postponing a summit between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom that had been scheduled for next month.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said at a news conference in Brussels that day that "the need has arisen to postpone the summit" and noted that a new schedule is under review. Costa also said he hopes the next U.K. prime minister will continue efforts to improve U.K.-EU relations, as the predecessor did.
Starmer, Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had planned to hold the second U.K.-EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, on the 22nd of next month to discuss ways to reset relations between the two sides.
The meeting had been seen as a symbolic event to normalize relations cooled since Brexit. Starmer, who took office in July 2024, has worked to mend conflicts caused by Brexit and to expand cooperation with the EU. The summit was set to focus on cooperation on food and animal safety standards, expanding youth exchange programs, and linking the emissions trading system (ETS).
Andy Burnham, a member of Parliament, is widely mentioned as the likely next U.K. prime minister to succeed Starmer. If there is no intra-party challenger, some expect Burnham could take office before the originally planned summit date with the EU on the 22nd of next month. However, both the U.K. and the EU are seen as judging that it would be too burdensome for a new prime minister to head straight into a summit that would be a watershed in rerouting relations between the two sides immediately after taking office, leading them to choose to postpone the meeting.
Burnham is generally viewed as pro-EU but maintains a cautious stance on the U.K. rejoining the EU. In recent remarks, he has said several times that he does not want to "reopen the divisive debate around Brexit."
Meanwhile, ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, public opinion in the U.K. is showing signs of change. According to a recent poll conducted in Britain by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), 57% of respondents said the U.K.'s departure from the EU was a "wrong decision," and three-quarters of respondents said Britain should build closer ties with the EU.