Starmer accused of lacking ambition over Brexit 'reset'

Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for lacking ambition in his bid to reset relations with the EU, after he rejected the idea of free movement for under-30s and rejoining the students’ Erasmus scheme even before talks got underway.

- DAVID MADDOX

The prime minister made it clear during a joint press conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz yesterday that he was not open to a deal that would make it easier for young people from the UK and the European Union to travel.

Despite Sir Keir having described the renegotiation as “a oncein-a-generation opportunity”, there are concerns that he is not willing to be flexible on a proposal that is strongly supported in the EU.

It was Sir Keir’s fifth meeting with Mr Scholz since becoming prime minister, as the two opened talks on a Germany-UK bilateral deal to be completed by the end of this year. The prime minister said the proposed treaty with Germany would be the first step in an overhaul of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, which has created visa and trade barriers for the UK since it departed the EU in 2020.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: “This is a positive step forward after years of the Conservatives trashing the UK’s relationship with Europe. But the new government needs to be more ambitious about rebuilding stronger ties with our European allies. That should start with agreeing a youth mobility scheme, giving young people the opportunity to easily live and work across the continent.”

Richard Kilpatrick, campaigns manager at European Movement UK, added: “For clarity, the draft offer from the European Commission to the European Council is youth mobility between a single member state and the UK; it is not freedom of movement for under-30s. Nor is the TCA (trade and cooperation agreement) review a renegotiation – it is a very rigid framework with little chance of meaningful change.

“What can and should happen is a series of agreements alongside the TCA that will go a little way in repairing the damage caused by Brexit, and show our European neighbours that we are serious about improving our relationship with the EU.