It seems scarcely believable but Jeremy Hunt’s flit to Brussels today to meet EU Commissioners is the first by a UK Chancellor in more than three years.
Over the same period his predecessors Nadim Zahawi, Kwasi Kwarteng and Rishi Sunak — now his boss — have all found time to visit America, while Hunt himself has flown to India.
Yet Brussels, the “capital” of Britain’s biggest trading partner and a bloc inextricably entwined with the UK’s economic destiny — regardless of Brexit — has remained off the Treasury’s “must visit” list since early 2020.
The Chancellor is due to “discuss UK/EU cooperation with his counterparts at the European Commission” and will hold meetings with financial services Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, and digital commissioner Margrethe Vestager. Whatever your views on Britain’s future relationship with the EU these are serious people whose decisions still have a huge knock on effect for the UK.
The Chancellor will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding with McGuinness on future financial services cooperation. All of that is welcome.
The rebuilding of the shattered trust between London and Brussels should have happened four or five Chancellors ago. But better late than never.
The rewriting of the rules governing trade, economic and financial relations between the UK and EU is far from played out and it is vital that the Chancellor engages with Brussels to prevent further harm.
It cannot be another three years before Mr Hunt or any of his successors beat a path to Le Berlaymont.
