Starmer: We are serious and ambitious about reset with EU
But the Prime Minister said his Government has no plans for a youth mobility scheme.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “very serious” about an EU reset and that he wants to be “ambitious about what we can achieve”.
Since taking office, the Prime Minister has held talks in Paris and Berlin in a sign of his desire to seek closer relations with key figures in the EU.
An agreement on youth mobility has been suggested by Brussels and could be a key demand in any negotiations but Sir Keir reiterated that there were “no plans” for such a scheme.
Questioned on whether he was serious about an EU reset following criticism from Brussels on the youth mobility scheme, the PM said: “I’m very serious about it.
That does not mean going back into the EU, that does not mean going back into the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within that framework
“I think that’s clear enough from the work we’ve been doing in the last few weeks since the election.
“I made this very clear initially at the summit in Washington with European colleagues, the Nato summit at the European political community, which we hosted.
“And then, obviously, as you’ve seen, I’ve been twice to Berlin, twice to Paris. I was with the Taoiseach (Simon Harris) last Saturday.
“”We’re very serious about that. Obviously, there’s a long way to go.”
Sir Keir continued: “I want to be ambitious about what we can achieve within the EU reset.
“That does not mean going back into the EU, that does not mean going back into the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within that framework.”
He insisted that the negotiation “needs to be done in the proper way”.
Pressed on the youth mobility scheme, he said “we have no plans to do the youth mobility scheme”.
Sir Keir declined to explain his objections to the scheme or if it could come up as a negotiating point.
Asked if it was “ruled out”, he repeated: “We have no plans for a youth mobility scheme.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.