UK PM Starmer to agree deal to strengthen EU partnership, his office says

London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to agree a deal next week to strengthen the country's post-Brexit partnership with the European Union and to facilitate trade in some food products, his office said on Saturday.

Starmer will welcome EU leaders to London on Monday to help reset relations with the bloc, with both sides aiming to secure progress in specific areas while others will remain off-limits.

Britain left the EU in 2020, but Starmer has been trying to boost ties with the country's biggest trading partner since his centre-left Labour Party won last year's national election.

The summit will result in a deal, his office said, though it provided few details beyond saying it would improve the situation for British producers currently facing checks on products or unable to export, and also that it would ease matters for families facing higher bills and queues when travelling.

"This week, the Prime Minister will strike yet another deal that will deliver in the national interest of this country. It will be good for growth, good for jobs, good for bills, and good for our borders," Starmer's 10 Downing Street office said in a statement.

Starmer on Friday raised the prospect that a youth mobility deal with the European Union would be struck at the summit.

Brexit has grown increasingly unpopular with the British electorate, opinion polls suggest, with the economy faring poorly in recent years and international trade a particular weak spot.