EU agrees initial food trade deal with Ukraine
The EU temporarily waived duties and quotas on Ukrainian farm products in June 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion to help the country compensate for the higher costs of its exports via the EU, after Russia threatened its traditional Black Sea shipping lanes.
However, these measures were halted at the start of this month after an influx of cheaper Ukrainian grain, poultry and sugar sparked protests in neighbouring countries, notably Poland.
The bloc returned to its pre-war trade agreement with Ukraine, with tariffs and quotas limiting agricultural trade.
The EU is Ukraine's largest trade partner and Ukraine is the third-largest supplier of agri-food products to the EU, according to EU data.
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North Wales Chronicle
11 minutes ago
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Keir's first year: Starmer under pressure after a rocky start for Labour
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Reuters
17 minutes ago
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Rhyl Journal
20 minutes ago
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He also touts his commitment to get defence spending up to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – and the new Nato defence and security spending pledge of 5% of GDP by 2035. At home, he is battling the rise of Reform UK. A YouGov megapoll released last week said a general election now could see Reform UK taking more seats than Labour, while the latest Ipsos poll puts Nigel Farage's party at 34% with Labour behind at 25%. Sir Keir framed Reform UK as Labour's main opposition at a press conference in May, saying the Conservative Party has 'run out of road'. It came after Reform UK hoovered up council seats across England in local elections, as well as gaining a seat previously held by Labour in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election. An immigration speech in which the Prime Minister said the UK could become an 'island of strangers' drew criticism and comparisons with Enoch Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood' address that was blamed for inflaming racial tensions in the 1960s. Sir Keir has since expressed regret at the phrasing. But he reportedly plans to target 'authoritarian-leaning' voters with a focus on tackling migration and crime. In recent polling by LabourList of members, 64% said they wanted the party to shift to the left, with only around 2% favouring a move to the right. The next test at the polls will be Welsh and Scottish elections in May, at which Reform UK hopes to end Labour's 26-year domination in the Senedd next year. Sir Keir again took aim at the party in a speech to the Welsh Labour conference last weekend, saying Mr Farage has 'no plan at all' for the nation. Political historian Sir Anthony Seldon has praised Sir Keir's ability to react to crises in foreign policy and during the riots last summer, but urged him to counter Reform UK by communicating 'growth' and 'optimism'. 'Show people that you're Prime Minister, show people you've got a story, show people things are getting better across the whole country with growth and then, you know, that will deal with Reform,' he told Sky News. Sir Keir has pledged to lead a 'decade of national renewal' and said that the first year of that has been 'cleaning up that mess' his Government inherited. In a signal he is seeking to put a positive spin on the future, he told business leaders last week: 'We've wiped the state clean, we've stabilised the economy, and now we can go on to the next phase of government, building on that foundation.'
