British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's resignation on Monday threatens to delay or even cancel a summit scheduled for late July between the United Kingdom and the European Union that was intended to bring the two sides closer together.
European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho told reporters: "Following the announcement of Prime Minister Starmer's resignation this morning, we will reassess, together with (European Council) President António Costa and the United Kingdom, the possibility of holding the summit announced last week, and we will make a decision accordingly."
The summit had been scheduled for 22 July in Brussels. Had it gone ahead, it would have been the second such summit since Brexit, following the one Starmer hosted in London in May 2025 as part of his strategy to draw closer to the European Union.
Starmer's resignation came on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Brexit, which led to Britain formally leaving the European Union in 2020, four years after the referendum.
The rapprochement Starmer had championed was already complicated, with numerous points of disagreement emerging in recent months over defence industry matters, EU support for domestic industries, and the doubling of European customs duties on steel.
But both sides had hoped to conclude a number of agreements at the summit reflecting their growing closeness, particularly in the areas of employment, youth mobility, and trade in food products.
These efforts to revive relations between Brussels and London come amid a shift in public opinion, with recent polls showing that a majority of Britons feel regret over leaving the European Union.
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to succeed Starmer, is treating the issue with great caution. Despite his wholehearted support for Europe, he has ruled out reversing Brexit.
In an interview with The Guardian in early June, he said: "I still hope that we will return [to the European Union] within my lifetime. But we must not hold another referendum now."