10 things we’re doing ahead of the summit

The first 🇬🇧 UK-EU 🇪🇺 Summit between Keir Starmer and Ursula Von Der Leyen on 19th May 2025 is just weeks away, and it’s up to you to help make the case for a better deal.

Here’s how you can take part…

Before we get into it, you might want to listen to an eight-minute-explainer from Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain, and James O’Brien from LBC of why a better deal must be done (and why an ‘SPS-only’ deal isn’t good enough):

1️⃣ Helping tens of thousands of voters write to their MP to express their worries ✍️

We’re running ads in every Labour constituency to ask voters to explain to their MP why anything less than a comprehensive ‘Common Sense’ Deal on goods and services won’t deliver for them. Already tens of thousands of people have sent an email, using our Hey-MP tool that bypasses the Parliamentary campaign-email filters that so many other email tools can’t get past.

I’ll write to my MP

I’ll help fund this

2️⃣ Running outdoor billboard ads in local places hit hardest by our current deal with the EU 📣

Our advert about red tape moving car parts from Germany? We’re running it in Luton, where jobs at the Stellantis plant have been put at risk, asking local people affected to use our tool to write to their MP or a Minister.

I’ll donate to increase the number of ads

3️⃣ Crunching the numbers – to show that a ‘Common Sense’ Deal is essential to achieve growth 📈

Best for Britain, working with Frontier Economics, were the first organisation to model a UK-EU Deal in the context of US tariffs imposed by Trump. It allows us to warn the Government that an ‘SPS-only’ deal will deliver 0% growth. But a deal on goods and services can grow the economy by *1.5%, even if Trump applies tariffs! It would be *2.2% GDP growth if Trump u-turns on his plans.

*If this sounds small to you, just bear in mind that the UK economy is £2.6 trillion – so this is billions of pounds.

I’ll help fund innovative research like this

4️⃣ Built a tool that sends a real letter in the post to Ministers 📩

Business needs to make its voice heard, but the most affected companies barely have enough time to deal with the increase in red tape and difficulty hiring. We built a tool that takes less than two minutes to use, sends a real, printed, letter in the post to Ministers, expressing why they need a ‘Common Sense’ Deal.

I’m a business owner, I’ll send a letter

I’ll donate to fund the postage costs

5️⃣ Organising events in Brussels, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Belfast, Edinburgh, and on Zoom 🤝

We need every business, large or small, to tell the Government why an ‘SPS-only’ deal won’t help them overcome the Deal that Boris Johnson hastily agreed with the EU. And we’re working with Business LDN, Downton in Business, Forum Europe, the French Chamber of Commerce, NI Chamber of Commerse, Trafalgar Entertainment and CBI Scotland.

I’m a business owner and want to take part

I’ll help fund more events

6️⃣ Bringing together musicians, actors, theatre producers, music managers, record labels, the fashion industry, and other creative industries to unify 👠 🎭 🎸

The creative industries have been hardest hit by visa, ATA carnet, and cabotage rules. We’re bringing together the most powerful voices to build the political will in Europe, and here in the UK, to do a ‘Common Sense’ Deal for culture.

I’m in the creative sector, I’d like to join

I’ll donate to this project

7️⃣ Making the case on radio, TV, and in print 📻 📺 🗞️

Best for Britain spokespeople are appearing in the media virtually every day in the run up to the UK-EU Summit on 19th May, making the case for a ‘Common Sense’ Deal.

Listen to Naomi’s five minute explainer on LBC

8️⃣ Daily meetings with MPs and Ministers in the UK, and Commissioners in the EU 🇬🇧🤝🇪🇺

Our Public Affairs team, and our extensive network of business owners, is meeting with parliamentarians here and in the European Union constantly, to ensure that everyone can get behind a ‘Common Sense’ Deal that delivers growth, and saves British businesses from the worst impacts of US tariffs.

9️⃣ Testing the most persuasive messages and running focus groups 🏘️

In March we set out to find the most compelling message that persuades swing voters why we need a deal with the EU that delivers alignment on goods and services. It’s how we came up with ‘Common Sense’ Deal – after all, the current Deal makes no sense at all. (Yes, of course the most common sense might have been to stay in the EU in the first place – but we are where we are! And it’s vital that we remind the Labour Government that there are millions of voters, even those who are voting Reform UK, and certainly those voting Conservative, that want a ‘Common Sense’ Deal with Europe) This is how we get those voters to tell the Government not to be fearful of right-wing headlines. 

I’ll share the ‘Common Sense’ Deal campaign

I’ll fund more research for message testing

🔟 And of course, lots of polling 📊

We have to keep making the case that a ‘Common Sense’ Deal with Europe is electorally popular, and polling is one of the best ways to make MPs and Governments listen. A Youth Mobility Scheme is even popular in Farage’s constituency of Clacton! You can read all our latest polling, going into great detail on our relationship with Europe, in Publications.

I’d like to see the research

I’ll donate to help fund more of it