Britain agreed the most significant reset of defence and trade ties with the European Union since Brexit on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump’s upending of the global order pushed the two sides to move on from their acrimonious divorce.
Nearly nine years after it voted to leave the bloc, Britain reached a wide-ranging deal with the EU including a security and defence pact, fewer restrictions on British food exporters and visitors, and a contentious new fishing agreement. At the heart of the reset is a defence and security pact that will let Britain be part of any joint procurement and pave the way for British companies to take part in a 150 billion euro ($167 billion) programme to rearm Europe.
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Source: MSN News
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