UK minister hopes to secure better cooperation with EU by May summit

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's EU negotiator Nick Thomas-Symonds expressed optimism on Tuesday that London and Brussels could agree to enhance cooperation on security, law enforcement and on removing trade barriers by May, when leaders of both sides are set to meet.

Since Labour won a landslide election victory in July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government have driven a "reset" in relations with the European Union, trying to end years of post-Brexit rancour between the two trading partners.

"The time for ideological-driven division is over. The time for ruthless pragmatism (in talks) is now," Thomas-Symonds said at the EU/UK Annual Forum Conference in Brussels, a day after Starmer had dinner there with EU leaders.

That meant "making the case for closer working with our allies in the EU, to make people across the UK and the EU safer, more secure and more prosperous", he said.

He said the talks with the bloc would focus on security for closer cooperation on defence; on safety for more coordination on tackling illegal immigration; and on prosperity, to remove barriers to trade and boost growth.

He also said Britain and the EU agreed "to a leader-level summit that will be held in May where we hope we can deliver a balanced yet ambitious outcome to benefit all our citizens".

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Bernadette Baum)