It was all smiles yesterday at the UK-EU summit, as UK prime minister Keir Starmer unveiled his much-anticipated ‘Brexit reset’. European Council chief António Costa celebrated the ‘new positive energy’ between the EU and the UK’s Labour government. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen praised the ‘historic’ deal, hailing it as a ‘new beginning for old friends’.

The EU side certainly had a lot to smile about. For Starmer and the UK government had, in the early hours of the morning just ahead of the summit, ceded significant chunks of the UK’s sovereignty, agreeing to accept EU rules over vast swathes of the British economy.

Starmer hailed the deal as a ‘win-win’ for both sides, and perhaps it was. No, not for the EU and the UK as such, but for the EU and the anti-Brexit blob that makes up much of the British establishment. It was a win for those who never saw the value of Brexit, sovereignty or ‘taking back control’ in the first place. For those who would prefer for Britain’s laws and regulations to be handed down from Brussels, without the say-so of the pesky voters or consideration of the national interest.

Under Starmer’s new deal, post-Brexit Britain is set to become a rule-taker in several critical areas: fishing, food, defence, energy and more. It also invites the European Court of Justice (ECJ), a ruthless enforcer of Brussels’ interests, to meddle further in British affairs, to ensure compliance with the new rules Starmer has signed us up to. The concessions are painful and immediate, while the gains are elusive and, in many cases, largely theoretical.