The European Commission and UK government are moving closer to a defence deal that will open the door to British arms firms being able to reap bigger potential rewards from a €150bn (£129bn) EU fund, but both sides insisted it was not tied to fishing rights.
An EU-UK defence pact is likely to be the highlight of the first post-Brexit summit in May, but has been dogged by questions over how far member states will insist on linking security to a separate agreement on fisheries.
The commission has said it is ready to negotiate a security and defence partnership with Keir Starmer that would in effect treat the UK as European for defence procurement, when it comes to a nascent €150bn rearmament fund.
The EU already h...
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