Sir Keir Starmer and Olaf Scholz are “more or less on the same page” about improving the UK’s relationship with Europe, a senior member of the German Chancellor’s party said.
Nils Schmid, the foreign affairs spokesman for the SPD’s parliamentary group, told BBC Radio 4’s Today that Germany would like a deal on youth mobility, despite UK reservations about anything that would open the door to free movement of labour.
Asked what Mr Scholz would like from the meeting, Mr Schmid said: “They are more or less on the same page. So there is a constant push by the German government to bring the UK closer to Europe and to facilitate cooperation between Great Britain and the European Union in as many fields as possible, ranging from trade to student mobility rights to defence.
“And then, of course, there’s also the idea of not only preparing the ground for a EU-UK agreement, but also to strengthen the bilateral ties between Germany and Great Britain by concluding a bilateral friendship treaty or co-operation treaty, as is already in existence between France and the UK, the so-called Lancaster House accord.”
A youth mobility scheme was “a major feature of our wish list” but “this is not about immigration in a general sense”.
“This is about facilitating access of youth to Great Britain for stays of limited duration, for purposes like educational programmes, youth exchange or student exchange.” But he suggested it could include “working experience which is also of limited duration”.