The inquiry comes after the government announced it was seeking a reset of the UK’s relations with the European Union, including in the areas of security and defence co-operation, in order to “address common threats and challenges”, and trade, in order to “break down barriers”.

The government has made clear that the UK will not rejoin the EU Single Market or the Customs Union, nor participate in EU freedom of movement of people.

The cross-party Lords European Affairs Committee’s inquiry will have two main themes:

• the substance of the reset (involving questions about what the reset is, or should be)
• the process for achieving the objectives of the reset (involving questions about how the government pursues it with the EU, and the role of devolved administrations and other interested parties in the UK).

The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence to the inquiry by 7 March 2025.

Public evidence sessions will start on 21 January, and the Committee aims to report to the House later in the year.

The UK-EU relationship is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force when the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which has been in effect since 1 January 2021. 

The TCA is fundamentally a free trade agreement under which UK-EU goods trade is largely free of tariffs and quotas. It covers some aspects of trade in services but not others. It includes provisions for an overarching governance arrangement and for UK-EU co-operation in some areas, notably law enforcement. It does not include provision for co-operation on foreign and security policy.

Lord Ricketts, chair of the Lords European Affairs Committee, said: “The Government has made clear that the reset will be at the centre of its efforts to improve UK-EU relations. Our inquiry will scrutinise the government’s proposals and consider what a reset should aim to deliver in practice for the UK. The Committee looks forward to examining this complex issue in detail – with a view to publishing a report later this year.”

Details of how to submit evidence by the deadline can be found on the Committee’s website.

You can follow the Committee on X @LordsEUCom

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