Starmer to press mobility scheme in EU reset talks – Daily Business

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to unveil the biggest relaxation in the Brexit rules when he sets out plans for easing movement of people to help with skills shortages.

The Prime Minister has confirmed weeks of speculation that he wants to introduce a youth mobility scheme which would enable young people in the UK and EU to spend up to two years working across borders.

Amid a potential backlash from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that it would open the doors to immigration, Sir Keir insisted it does not herald a return to full free movement. He said the UK already has similar arrangements with countries such as Australia, which caps the number allowed to move under the scheme.

A youth mobility scheme is among the measures supported by some opposition parties and business groups.

The CBI has called for “reciprocal youth participation schemes” along with short-term business travel and intra-company transfers through amendments to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and increased Home Office resources. It also wants the government to negotiate a mutual recognition of professional qualifications agreement.

The EU is pushing for reduced tuition fees for European students as part of the youth mobility deal, while Britain wants the bloc to lift restrictions on musicians and other performers working on the continent.

The deal to be agreed at Lancaster House in London on Monday will bring Britain into the closest alignment with the EU since Brexit and will cover trade, agriculture, security and defence.

France is expected to use the talks to win further concessions from the UK on long-term fishing rights in exchange for a reduction of checks on food.

“Nobody wants to re-litigate the last nine years,” Sir Keir told The Times, despite calls from the SNP and others for such a renegotiation. The SNP’s call for a Scottish visa to help with skills shortages has been rejected by the Labour government.

Sir Keir Starmer, mindful of the increasing challenge from Reform UK, said freedom of movement was a “red line” and would not be re-introduced, but “youth mobility is not freedom of movement”.

He said: “I’ve committed myself to pragmatism, seriousness and that we will respectfully but toughly negotiate in our national interest, and that’s what I will do on Monday.”

The CBI has published a report, Building Bridges: Enhancing the EU-UK Strategic Partnership, which sets out 12 strategic recommendations for how the EU and the UK can strengthen their partnership to successfully navigate the new geopolitical and economic context. 

These include enhancing mobility, streamlining regulations, advancing energy and climate goals, and bolstering economic security.

Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the CBI, said: “With the disruptive headwinds of US tariffs bringing even more uncertainty to firms, the economic relationship between the EU and the UK is now more important than ever.

“Businesses on either side of the Channel urge both parties to use the inaugural EU-UK Summit to fire the starting pistol on an ambitious and bold drive towards an enhanced strategic partnership.

“Firms are clear that this isn’t about re-running the arguments from the referendum, with both sides having set out their respective red lines. But to make progress we need to leave the last decade behind to work together on a programme of shared prosperity and economic security.”

The reset talks come amid a plunge in Sir Keir’s personal ratings. A YouGov found that his personal popularity is at its lowest level on record, with the sharpest fall among Labour voters from 62% to 45%. It is the first time he has recorded a net negative approval rating among his own party’s supporters.