Starmer leaves door open for an EU youth mobility scheme

Keir Starmer held the door open for some form of youth mobility exchange with EU countries after talks in Germany yesterday with Olaf Scholz, who stressed his desire for closer ties.

- Peter Walker

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 reject the idea of setting up some kind 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 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 youth mobility scheme, under which young people from within the EU could live, work and study for a limited period in Britain, with reciprocal rights for young Britons, Starmer did not, pointing to the UK-Germany treaty he and Scholz had discussed.