Sir Keir Starmer has U-turned on Labour’s manifesto commitment to ban foie gras imports into Britain as part of efforts to reach a trade agreement with Brussels.
As Government continues Brexit betrayal negotiations with the EU, ministers acknowledged they could not obtain a special exemption from the bloc’s food standards, according to the Telegraph.
The delicacy, primarily manufactured in France through the force-feeding of ducks and geese to expand their livers, was targeted for an import ban under Labour’s 2024 election promises.
Brussels insisted Britain could not cherry-pick which products to accept, making clear that any future trade deal required the UK to abandon its stance against the controversial product created through the abuse of live animals.
EU regulations prevent member states from blocking each other’s food products based on animal welfare objections, leaving British negotiators without leverage to secure a carve-out.
The failure to win an exemption means foie gras will continue to be imported into the country, though the existing ban on producing the product domestically remains unaffected.
Britain outlawed the manufacture of foie gras on UK soil back in 2007, but imports from European producers have since continued.
The foie gras concession is among several compromises the outgoing Prime Minister has accepted in pursuit of improved trading arrangements with the bloc.
The delicacy, primarily manufactured in France, involves the force-feeding of ducks and geese to expand their livers
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Beyond foie gras, a deal would ban British farmers from utilising various pesticides prohibited by the EU, while also compromising the future development of gene-edited crops in the UK.
These compromises form part of the broader “reset” negotiations pushed by Labour, aimed at reducing barriers to cross-Channel food and drink commerce through alignment with European standards.
The Government maintains the deal will deliver substantial benefits despite the trade-offs, projecting that cutting red tape on food and beverage trade could boost the British economy by as much as £5.1 billion annually.
The controversial delicacy was targeted for an import ban under Labour’s 2024 election promises
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Officials also anticipate the reset deal will help reduce supermarket prices for consumers.
The Prime Minister had initially targeted a Brussels summit on July 22 to finalise the agreement, having arranged the date during a G7 meeting.
It was there that he spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Évian-Les-Bains.
However, the EU pushed back the gathering following Sir Keir’s resignation announcement, with sources indicating it will now take place in late October or early November.
Sir Keir appears to be leaving the next Labour cabinet on a cliff’s edge across sectors
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The postponement means Andy Burnham, widely anticipated to succeed Sir Keir at No10, will likely inherit responsibility for completing the negotiations.
EU officials and diplomats expressed confidence on Monday that they could extract additional concessions from Mr Burnham, viewing him as more open to their demands.
Despite promising a “smooth and orderly transition” of power to his successor, Sir Keir appears to be leaving the next Labour cabinet on a cliff’s edge across sectors.
Another example sees the Prime Minister set to commit an additional £1billion to the defence budget for the next four years, despite Andy Burnham’s team urging him to wait for his successor.