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Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to boost educational and cultural “exchanges” between the UK and EU, and did not explicitly rule out negotiating some form of youth mobility scheme with the bloc.
The UK prime minister said at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday that his “reset” of relations with the EU would entail a “closer relationship” with member states on the economy, defence and exchanges.
Starmer said “we do not have plans” for a UK-EU youth mobility scheme, but stopped short of stamping out speculation that he could negotiate an agreement in future.
British government officials said the UK wanted to bolster educational and cultural exchanges, such as children on school trips and musicians on tour, by removing red tape.
However, they insisted it would not amount to the scale of movement, or duration of stays, that are typically agreed for youth mobility schemes and that have been floated by some figures in the EU.
Last week Downing Street said Britain was “not considering” an EU-wide youth mobility scheme, frustrating campaigners pushing for a return to pre-Brexit freedoms.
In April, ahead of the UK election, Labour issued a frosty response to the European Commission’s offer to strike a deal to allow 18-30-year-old UK citizens to work and study in the bloc for up to four years.
A Labour official said at the time that the party saw youth mobility schemes as “synonymous with freedom of movement”, noting that Starmer had categorically ruled out a return to free movement.
The UK prime minister repeated his red lines on Brexit on Wednesday, including ruling out re-entry to the single market or a customs union.
Starmer was in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about a new bilateral treaty between the UK and Germany deepening defence and economic ties, which both sides want to finalise by early next year.
The joint declaration agreed by London and Berlin this week to kick off the process also made mention of “increased people-to-people contacts” between the two states.
Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, said: “Starmer appeared to leave wriggle room on youth mobility. The language he used suggests the UK may want to keep it in reserve for the negotiating table — Britain is well aware it’s one of the EU’s biggest asks.”
However, he predicted that any move to open discussions on such a proposal would meet resistance among some cabinet ministers. “The ghost of free movement is still haunting some in Labour’s high command,” Rahman said.
Some senior Labour officials, including London mayor Sadiq Khan, have welcomed the idea of a UK-EU youth mobility scheme, however.
Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake, shadow business secretary, accused Starmer of “plotting to reverse Brexit”.
On Thursday Starmer will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, after attending the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday evening.
The two leaders are expected to discuss foreign policy, including developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as bilateral issues including economic ties and co-operation over tackling illegal migration, according to UK officials.
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