The key facts

  • Sky News document leak: the EU ties Britain's access to the electricity market to a financial contribution
  • The bloc demands not deporting convicted foreigners to EU countries after changes to the law in 2026
  • Burnham estimates the summit's potential effect at up to 0.4% of GDP

What the EU demands

The European Union, in negotiations on a 'reset' of relations with the United Kingdom, is seeking financial contributions from London and the abandonment of plans to deport foreign prisoners to EU countries. This is evidenced by a draft statement prepared by the bloc for the UK–EU summit in Brussels this month; the document came into the possession of Sky News, as reported by Anadolu. According to the leak, the financial contribution is a condition for Britain's access to the EU's single electricity market: the document speaks of an 'appropriate level of financial contribution' to reduce economic and social disparities between the union's regions. At the same time, both sides, as noted in the draft, expect to 'conclude negotiations quickly' so that London gains access to the market 'as soon as possible'.

Deportations and Burnham's position

The second demand concerns migration policy: the EU is seeking a commitment from Prime Minister Andy Burnham not to deport European offenders to EU countries. This refers to changes introduced this year that allow the Home Office to deport foreigners after they have been sentenced. Burnham himself defends the course of rapprochement with the EU, calling refusal to negotiate a new agreement a 'dereliction of duty', and promises that 'publicity will be the boss' on the issue of closer ties with the bloc. Asked whether it is acceptable for Britain's food rules to be determined by the EU without its voice, he called the upcoming summit an opportunity to accelerate economic growth: 'It is estimated at up to 0.4% of additional GDP growth. I think people in Britain expect me to grab this with both hands… We are not in the EU, so we have to work with them differently,' Anadolu quotes him as saying.

Context and limitations

The material is based on a single leak published by Sky News; there is no official confirmation of the demands from either the EU or the British government in the publication, and the fate of the disputed points will become clear following the summit. For reference: in the 2016 referendum, the majority of Britons voted to leave the EU; the Brexit agreement was signed on 24 January 2020, and on 31 January of the same year the United Kingdom officially left the union.