9 hours ago
4
Europe|Britain’s Right-Wing News Media Line Up to Attack ‘Surrender Summit’ With E.U.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/world/europe/uk-brexit-eu-summit.html
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Most British people believe Brexit was a mistake. But Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attempts to edge closer to Europe face huge opposition in the national news media.
May 18, 2025, 12:01 a.m. ET
With surveys showing that most British people now regret Brexit, the country’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, might have hoped for an easy ride over his cautious push to mend ties with the European Union.
But well before the red carpet is rolled out for a meeting with the bloc’s leaders on Monday, political opponents had squashed that idea.
In fact, they are calling it the “surrender summit.” Andrew Griffith, who represents the opposition Conservative Party on trade and business, uses the phrase in Parliament and on social media, and it has also appeared in headlines in The Mail on Sunday and The Daily Mail. Elsewhere, The Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group, is running a campaign called Don’t Betray Brexit.
Nine years after 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the European Union, the rupture still casts a long shadow. President Trump’s shaky commitment to European security might seem like a powerful incentive for greater cooperation with the bloc, along with the chance to reduce some of the costly trade barriers erected by Brexit. But for a vocal minority of voters and lawmakers, the idea of rapprochement is anathema.
Britain’s freewheeling tabloid news media, much of which cheered on the campaign to quit the European Union during a 2016 referendum, is in full cry. The Daily Express told readers this month that Britain “could be required to deploy troops on E.U. missions,” citing a “leaked memo” seen by The Telegraph. In fact the draft memo reported by The Telegraph said that Britain would “consider” sending servicemen and women on civilian and military operations “upon the invitation of the E.U.” — there was no requirement.
Image
