The EU is drawing up plans to “Farage-proof” a future trade agreement with the UK

Brussels is trying to make a “Nigel Farage” clause part of the price of a new trade deal being negotiated with Keir Starmer’s government in London. Bureaucrats in the European Commission want to make it difficult for any future government in the UK to walk away from the deal.

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According to a draft text reported by the Financial Times, a clause informally dubbed the “Farage clause” would require London to pay substantial compensation if it withdrew from a “veterinary agreement” intended to cut red tape for British food and drink exporters.

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The FT said that EU diplomats describe the clause as a “safety provision to provide stability” in the case of a future government in London led by Reform UK.

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A source told FT: “The EU wants an agreement long-term and not only until 2029, should a change happen at the next election.”

The measure would cover costs for border infrastructure, equipment, and staff training, effectively making it expensive for any government to walk away.

Labour leader Keir Starmer wants to strike an agreement to improve trade with the EU. Trade groups have backed the deal strongly, and a 2024 study suggested it could boost UK food and drink exports by 22%.

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Concerns in Brussels have grown as Reform UK leads in some opinion polls, raising the risk that any deal agreed under Sir Keir could later be scrapped.

The draft also sets a fee for the UK to join the veterinary scheme, reflecting its share of EU border agencies’ costs, plus an extra 4% participation charge, the Financial Times reported.

Under the agreement, the UK would need to align its animal and plant product rules with EU regulations as they evolve. Sir Keir’s European relations minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said enabling legislation should be in place by the end of the year, with the deal operational by early to mid-2027.

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Both Reform UK and the Conservatives have pledged to cancel the arrangement if they take office. Farage said Sir Keir was “doing his best to give away our parliamentary sovereignty, to give away our rights as voters.” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the deal “terrible” and said she could not accept any agreement that left Britain subject to European Court of Justice rulings. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

A senior Labour source criticised Reform and Conservative promises to restore trade barriers, saying: “Nigel Farage is going to go into the next election saying he wants to bring back red tape, mountains of paperwork, and a greater bureaucratic burden.”

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