Sir Keir Starmer left the door open to the return of free movement for under-30s yesterday as he launched a bid to ‘reset’ Britain’s relationship with Europe.
On a visit to Berlin, the Prime Minister promised a ‘bright new future’ between the United Kingdom and Germany, with closer ties designed to boost trade between the two countries.
But while insisting he is not ‘reversing Brexit’, Sir Keir refused to rule out introducing a ‘backpackers and baristas’ scheme allowing 18- to 30-year-olds from across the EU to move to the UK for work, travel or study for a number of years.
It is a key demand of European allies in exchange for a closer trading relationship, leading to accusations from critics that Sir Keir will undo the terms of the Brexit agreement.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer left the door open to the return of free movement for under-30s yesterday as he launched a bid to ‘reset’ Britain’s relationship with Europe
The PM, speaking at a press conference at the German Chancellery yesterday, said he had ‘no plans’ for such a scheme, but then refused to completely rule it out when pressed by reporters.
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 [German] chancellor himself, notwithstanding those clear red lines that we’ve got and we’ve always had.’
Labour has made no secret of the fact it wants closer ties with the EU, but failure to move on Brussels’ proposals for a youth mobility scheme could hamper negotiations.
In a joint press conference yesterday in Berlin, German chancellor Olaf Scholz pointedly said that ‘contact’ between Germans and Britons has ‘declined massively after Brexit and the Covid 19 pandemic’.
‘We share similar views on this, and this is why we want to intensify the exchanges between Germany and the UK,’ he said.
On a visit to Berlin, the Prime Minister promised a ‘bright new future’ between the United Kingdom and Germany
In a joint press conference yesterday in Berlin, German chancellor Olaf Scholz pointedly said that ‘contact’ between Germans and Britons has ‘declined massively after Brexit and Covid
It came after Nils Schmid, Mr Scholz’s foreign affairs spokesman, suggested a youth mobility deal would be the price of closer ties.
He told BBC Radio 4 it was a ‘major feature of our wish list’, and not about ‘opening the walls of labour migration’, but about facilitating a student exchange.
But last night Sir Keir’s comments provoked a backlash, with warnings that he was trying to put Britain ‘under the control of Brussels by the backdoor’.
Tory former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Mail: ‘The Prime Minister, who constantly argued for a second referendum, cannot be trusted to protect Brexit.
‘He’s always wanted to bring us closer into the EU’s orbit and put us under the control of Brussels by the backdoor.
‘Labour’s plans to relax migration controls with the EU would start a slippery slope towards closer alignment and the return of freedom of movement.
‘Given his feeble track record in negotiations and rolling over so readily to his trade union paymasters, Keir Starmer cannot be trusted to safeguard something as precious as our sovereignty.’
Sir Keir refused to rule out introducing a ‘backpackers and baristas’ scheme allowing 18- to 30-year-olds from across the EU to move to the UK for work, travel or study for a number of years
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after talks at the Chancellery on August 28
Following the two-day visit to Berlin, Sir Keir flew to Paris for the Paralympic opening ceremony and today will hold talks with French president Emmanuel Macron
And former Conservative Brexit minister David Jones said: ‘Keir Starmer notoriously tried to stop Brexit by calling for a second referendum, when the wishes of the British people had already been made clear. People will therefore, entirely reasonably, always be suspicious about his motives where Europe is concerned.
‘He should make very clear that, in all our dealings with the EU, British sovereignty will be the overriding consideration. His equivocation today gives no comfort at all in that respect.’
Sir Keir was in Berlin for talks with Mr Scholz to launch negotiations on a major new treaty between the UK and Germany.
Describing the treaty as a ‘once in a generation’ chance to deliver for working people in both countries, the Prime Minister said it would result in ‘deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, culture’ and ‘a boost to our trading relations’.
The two leaders also discussed how to tackle smuggling gangs, and agreed to develop ‘a joint action plan to tackle illegal migration’.
Asked about his discussions with Mr Scholz, the Prime Minister confirmed a returns agreement with Germany ‘wasn’t discussed today’. But he said he hoped the joint action plan could help to intercept small boats, which are used in the English Channel, as they transit through Germany. Following the two-day visit to Berlin, Sir Keir flew to Paris for the Paralympic opening ceremony and today will hold talks with French president Emmanuel Macron.
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