Healey to ask EU finance ministers to let UK into industry scheme
The chancellor wants the Made in Europe programme to deepen ties with the UK "rather than erecting new barriers".
Healey to urge EU finance ministers to admit UK to industry scheme
John Healey is due to meet EU finance ministers on Friday
The chancellor is set to caution the European Union (EU) against shutting the UK out of its plan to shield industries from unfair Chinese competition.
At a meeting of EU finance ministers in Dublin on Friday, John Healey will argue for stronger UK-EU cooperation on tech, defence and manufacturing.
However, Treasury sources told the BBC that he will also urge the EU to shape its "Made in Europe" programme in a way that strengthens links with the UK "rather than erecting new barriers".
Officials said Healey will tell European finance ministers that it is important to "learn lessons" after negotiations broke down last year over Britain joining an EU defence loans scheme.
That disagreement was about how much the UK would have to contribute.
The "Made in Europe" policy, formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), is being examined by the bloc and is intended to protect EU manufacturing through restrictions on goods from outside countries.
The government is worried the scheme could exclude British firms from European supply chains.
Treasury officials said Healey wants to lessen the economic effects of Brexit and build closer relations with the EU, but not at any price for the UK.
Healey said: "The next chapter of Britain's growth story will be written in more places.
"To me, closer ties with the EU means British businesses – wherever they are based across the UK – get better access to both the supply chains and the customers they need to grow."
Healey will use the Dublin meeting to concentrate on tech firms, defence companies and manufacturing.
"The chancellor wants to make sure nothing holds them back," a Treasury source said.
The meeting comes after a reset summit with the EU was postponed following Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as prime minister.
Treasury sources now expect that summit to happen in November.
Healey's Dublin trip also follows reports earlier this week that he is in talks about joining a global investment bank designed to raise more money for defence spending.
He is weighing a bid to join the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), shortly after his predecessor Rachel Reeves turned down the idea.
Canada has been spearheading efforts to create the bank, which backers say would allow governments to borrow at lower costs to boost military spending.
Funding the UK's rising defence commitments is one of Healey's biggest challenges as he gets ready for the Budget in October and next year's spending review.