Sir Keir Starmer has said his government wants a reset with the EU – “but that doesn’t mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market”.
Following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, the prime minister said plans for a new treaty with Germany are about a “reset” with the EU.
He said he hopes for a “wider reset” with the EU but added: “That does not mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market or the customs union.
“But it does mean a closer relationship on a number of fronts, including the economy, including defence, including exchanges, but we do not have plans for a youth mobility scheme.”
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Sir Keir is in Germany to discuss a new bilateral treaty covering a range of issues including market access, clean energy, trade, and tackling illegal migration.
Mr Scholz and Sir Keir said they hope a deal will be in place by the end of the year as they both called it a “once in a generation” opportunity.
However, they provided few details of what the agreement could look like.
Sir Keir said: “Britain can advance its interests much more effectively when we work with friends and partners.
“This treaty is part of a wider reset, grounded in a new spirit of cooperation with our shared understanding that this will be developed at pace, and that we hope to have agreed it by the end of the year.”
Illegal migration and defence cooperation
The two countries agreed to develop a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration”, which will allow them to better “deal with issues like data sharing, intelligence sharing”, the prime minister said.
Sir Keir said his “substantive discussions” with Mr Scholz would help to take down the gangs running the “vile trade of putting people in dangerous situations across Europe and across the Channel”.
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