Keir Starmer has held the door open potentially for some form of youth mobility exchange with EU countries after talks in Germany with Olaf Scholz, who stressed to the British prime minister his wish for closer such ties.
While Starmer said at a press conference with the German chancellor that the UK did not have plans to join the EU’s youth mobility scheme – with No 10 having previously ruled out such a move – speaking to reporters later, he pointedly did not rule out setting up some sort of system for other link-ups, for example student exchanges.
Starmer said after the press conference that nothing of this sort had been discussed during his long bilateral meeting with Scholz at the federal chancellery in Berlin, as the focus was on bilateral ties rather than wider European links.
But he added: “We want a close relationship, of course, and I do think that can extend across defence, security, education and cultural exchange and, of course, trade.”
Asked to explicitly rule out any sort of youth mobility scheme, under which young people from within the EU could live, work and study for a limited period in the UK, with reciprocal rights for young Britons, Starmer did not, pointing to the UK-Germany treaty he and Scholz had discussed.
He said simply that any future talks with the EU over an improved post-Brexit deal would be based on red lines including no return to the free movement of people. Free movement is not the same as time-limited exchanges.
“Look, the treaty is a bilateral treaty, so that’s got nothing to do with youth mobility or anything like that. That’s to do with trade, defence, economy, illegal migration etc,” he said. “In relation to youth mobility, obviously, we’ve been really clear – no single market, no customs union, no free movement, no going back into the EU. So the discussion about a close relationship within the EU or with the EU is in that context and within those frameworks.
“I’m convinced that we can have a close relationship, and I think you heard from the chancellor himself, notwithstanding those clear red lines that we’ve got and we’ve always had.”
In his opening remarks at the press conference, Scholz said he was “happy about the announcement by Keir Starmer to seek a reset in the relations to the European Union. We want to take this hand which is reached out to us.”
The German leader said he had been worried that “the contacts between our societies, between Germans and people in the UK, have declined massively after Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic”.
He added: “We want to change that, because if you know each other well, you understand each other better. We share similar views on this, and this is why we want to intensify the exchanges between Germany and the UK.”
Germany and other EU nations are believed to be keen for some type of youth mobility system to be established as part of a wider deal on post-Brexit relations, and while Labour had ruled this out, the UK would be expected to make some concessions as part of the negotiations.
Asked about the wider talks, Starmer pointed to a series of meetings with European leaders, adding: “I’m not going to set a timetable, or details out, but clearly, establishing a reset is a very important first step down that road.”
After the talks on Wednesday morning, the two governments sent out what was termed a “joint declaration on deepening and enhancing UK-Germany relations”, a precursor to a promised formal deal based on areas including defence and migration, which is scheduled to be agreed in the next six months.
This deal, the declaration said, “will reflect our status as the closest of partners in Europe, with the strongest possible bilateral cooperation on the issues that matter most to our populations”.
Brexit red tape on British businesses has caused goods trade between the UK and EU to slump and the problem is getting worse, a study has warned.
Many smaller UK producers have given up exporting small amounts to the EU after facing more rules and regulations, a report by Aston University Business School found.
Between 2021 and 2023, the study found UK goods exports to the EU fell 27% and imported goods by 32% compared with what it predicts would have happened without Brexit.
The report does not include the service sector, which has performed better than many experts had expected since Brexit.
The variety of trade export goods has also dropped, the study found, with 1,645 fewer types of British products exported to every EU country.
The authors say this is due to smaller British producers giving up on exporting small consignments to some EU nations after facing increased red tape.
Mary Quicke of Quicke's Cheeses in Devon told the BBC's Today programme that she had found it "really, really difficult to deal with all the regulatory burdens".
She said she used to supply four customers directly in the EU but "we had to give them away to somebody else".
"We just don't have the people to do the paperwork.”
The report said there was a "noticeable worsening of EU-UK trade in 2023".
"The negative impacts of the [trade agreement] have intensified over time, with 2023 showing more pronounced trade declines than previous years," it said.
Farmers, clothing makers, and wood and paper manufacturers have been among the hardest hit industries, with many sub-sectors' EU export value falling by well-over half.
The biggest drop in export value was for edible fruit and nuts, which nosedived 73.5%.
Trade with smaller and more distant countries in the EU has been affected the most, while trade with larger and closer countries has been affected the least.
However, the authors say a small number of sectors have proven resilient, especially in terms of exports to bigger EU economies such as Germany and France.
The tobacco, railway and aircraft sectors saw increases in the variety of exports to EU nations.
A government spokesperson said it will "work to improve our trade and investment relationship with the EU and tear down unnecessary trade barriers, while recognising that there will be no return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement".
The BBC understands that in recent meetings with government, business representatives were invited to contribute early ideas on “resetting” the trade relationship with the EU, with a focus on “economic security”.
Progress is unlikely until next year, when the new European Commission is firmly established, and the UK has itself completed new industrial and trade strategies.
Editorial
The prime minister will struggle to get a better deal in Brussels if he is afraid to make a pro-European argument at home
The fact that European Union leaders and Britain’s prime minister say that relations should improve is no guarantee that they will. Overcoming structural obstacles to closer collaboration will require a consistent application of political will. Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Brussels on Wednesday is a significant step in that direction. He held his first official bilateral meeting with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as part of the “reset” that Labour promised in its election manifesto.
The prime minister has described his preferred relationship with European partners as “improved”, “ambitious”, “pragmatic” and “mature”. Any combination of those qualities would be welcome, but there is still some mystery surrounding the substance of what Sir Keir has in mind. The most concrete proposal, from the UK side, is a defence and security pact. This would go beyond military cooperation, encompassing energy supplies and combating the climate crisis. That makes sense from a strategic perspective and has the technical advantage of being feasible without amending the 2020 Brexit trade and cooperation agreement (TCA).
There is no appetite in Brussels for a renegotiation of the TCA and Sir Keir has, in any case, ruled out any fundamental reconfiguration of the economic settlement. What adjustments might be made for the sake of easing border frictions and facilitating investment must comply with the prime minister’s pledge never to rejoin the EU single market or customs union. That doesn’t leave much that can dramatically shift the economic dial, but it isn’t a negligible agenda. Britain would still benefit from a veterinary deal, regulatory alignment for some industries, mutual recognition of qualifications, visa facilitation for touring musicians and other such ameliorations of Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit regime.
Measured in terms of service to the UK national interest, Mr Johnson’s deal was an abject failure, but it was very successful at obstructing any future reconciliation. The bridge was thoroughly burned. Even Sir Keir’s relatively modest wishlist touches on matters of single-market integrity that give EU leaders cause to warn London against any renewed attempt at “cherrypicking”.
What Labour might think of as low-hanging fruit for a better deal can still only be picked by hard, technical negotiation. There has to be a clear offer of what the EU might get in return. One item already on the table from the European side is a youth mobility scheme. Restoring opportunities for British students and young people to spend longer periods of time in the rest of Europe in exchange for reciprocal access to the UK should not even be seen as a concession. It would restore a mutual benefit that Brexit withdrew from young people across the continent.
But anything that implies easier transit across borders triggers Labour’s neuralgic anxiety about perceived backsliding on post-Brexit immigration control. Sir Keir will have to overcome that reservation if he is serious about resetting relations. Flinching from a hostile Eurosceptic press might have been a necessary tactic in opposition, but in government, a prime minister has the platform and authority to win arguments and set the agenda.
The foundations of an improved EU-UK relationship are now in place, but building on that requires greater clarity of purpose and courage in expressing the conviction that Britain’s interests are served by restoring ties that should not have been severed in the first place.
Exclusive: Starmer’s chief negotiator says the prime minister is “ambitious” about resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU in a letter seen by The Independent
Keir Starmer is being pushed to be “more ambitious” with his EU reset after a letter to campaigners confirmed that he only hopes to make Brexit work.
The Independent has seen a letter to the pro-EU campaign group the European Movement, defending the strategy but refusing to take more radical action.
The letter from European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who will head the EU reset talks, comes just 48 hours after the UK government and the EU were once again forced to delay a new Brexit digital border system because of fears it will lead to fruit and vegetables rotting which are waiting to be processed.
Mr Thomas-Symonds’ letter was a response to an open letter from the European Movement with a shopping list of demands to end the damage caused by Brexit.
These included agreeing the Youth Mobility Scheme for free travel for under-30s, as well as tackling border delays and removing trade barriers.
The minister avoided addressing these issues in his response but said: “Delivering these new agreements will take time, but we are ambitious, have clear manifesto priorities and want to move forward at pace.”
He noted: “It is important we look forwards not backwards and do not reopen Brexit divides. Therefore, there will be no return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement. However, we are clear that a strong UK-EU alliance is vital, and that we are stronger when we work with others.”
He set out the aims of wanting to “strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle barriers to trade”.
He added: “We are looking to turn the page - reinvigorating alliances and forging new partnerships with our European friends, rather than reopening the divisions of the past.”
With concerns growing over the continued impact on the UK economy of Brexit, the letter did not provide much comfort for those looking for a more substantial change.
Dr Mike Galsworthy, chair of European Movement UK, said: "We are encouraged by the Labour government’s stated intention to rebuild with the EU for mutual benefit. However, sloganising ‘make Brexit work’ will not help the UK’s beleaguered economy, when our polling shows the public overwhelmingly want to see the economy prioritised over Keir Starmer’s red lines. It’s time for change.
“A reset requires an actual assessment of where we are now and where economic opportunities lie - a forward-looking inquiry is what we need, to assess the possibilities for our future relationship with the EU.
“Additionally, such a move sits outside the prime minister’s red lines, and affords him the opportunity to show a long overdue level of transparency and public inclusion on constructive discussion of Britain’s developing relationship with the EU."
