After sealing trade deals with India and the US, Keir Starmer is chasing a hat-trick with the EU at next week’s summit.

Two down, one to go. That’s where Starmer stands after landing two major trade deals in three days last week. Both have drawn criticism, but Starmer will still chalk them up as wins.

There’s still a chance he’ll score a massive own goal though.

On Monday, he’ll host the first UK-EU summit since Brexit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend.

While billed as a security and defence meeting, talks are expected to go much further, with trade high on the agenda.

Starmer has ruled out rejoining the EU single market, customs union or restoring freedom of movement.

But he does want to update the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2020 and due for review in 2026.

A veterinary pact to ease food exports and a deal on recognising professional qualifications are both being floated. So too is an EU-proposed youth mobility scheme, though Starmer is cautious.

With Nigel Farage’s Reform UK rampant and Chancellor Rachel Reeves desperate for growth, the pressure is on to land another win. So how should Starmer proceed?

We asked three experts. Two are crystal clear: now is not the time to sell out Brexit, just as its benefits start to show.

The third says the EU is still our biggest trading partner, and we need closer links. So who’s right?

Dr Gerard Lyons of the Centre for Policy Studies says Starmer must avoid drifting back towards Brussels. “The India deal highlights the UK’s ability to strike mutually beneficial agreements outside the EU.”

India’s economy is growing fast and may one day eclipse the whole of western Europe. The US agreement, while limited, is also a move in the right direction. “Hopefully it’s a stepping stone to a broader deal.”

We couldn’t have secured either deal inside the EU. Instead, we’d be locked into its tariff wars with Donald Trump’s US.

Lyons says we should relish our freedom: “The UK must stay out of the single market and customs union. That’s what gives us the power to strike global trade deals.”

It also lets us regulate emerging sectors like AI, a key growth driver, and control immigration.

Lyons is clear: Brexit isn’t behind the UK’s malaise. “Germany’s recession, Italy’s stagnation, France’s weak growth – none of that’s blamed on Brexit. Nor should our problems be.”

Instead, the real lever is domestic reform. “That’s what will lift living standards long-term.”

Dr Kristian Niemietz at the Institute of Economic Affairs agrees, saying the UK should “stay open, stay global and fix what’s broken at home”.

He has no time for Trump’s protectionism. “His trade policy has no redeeming features. Even with a deal, it still leaves everyone poorer.”

But retaliating won’t help. “Governments that impose barriers mostly hurt their own consumers.”