00:07Mi invitación hoy es Nick Thomas-Simmons, el Ministerio de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión
00:13Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea.
00:46El Ministerio de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la
00:55Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la
00:57Unión Europea de la Unión Europea de la Unión Europea.
01:00I'd like to ask you first, do you think that your government is making Brexit work for the UK?
01:05Well, first of all, it's great to join you.
01:08And yes, we are making it work.
01:10And that's been my job as the UK's lead negotiator with the EU over these past two years,
01:17but also the work I did before that when we were in opposition.
01:20We delivered last year the common understanding in May,
01:24the very important security and defence partnership,
01:28complementing that foundation stone of our security and defence policy, NATO.
01:33But also, I was particularly delighted to have signed the reaccession to Erasmus+, just before Christmas.
01:41But also, we have the package that we want to agree at this year's UK-EU summit.
01:48But on the economic relationship, do you think you've been moving quick enough on this?
01:54Because there are recent studies that show that perhaps Brexit has taken a hit of up to 6% to
01:598% on GDP per head, for example.
02:02Have you moved quick enough to restore those economic trade ties?
02:06We are certainly moving very quickly.
02:08And I would also say that I inherited a status quo that wasn't working.
02:16There's no doubt about the damage that the previous government's handling of Brexit did.
02:22And that's exactly been my role, looking at changing that trading relationship, building a closer UK-EU relationship.
02:30Let me just say why that is so important, because we do live now in a very changed world to
02:37the one of 10 years ago.
02:39We live in a world of trading blocks.
02:41And it is so important that whilst respecting the result of the 2016 referendum and acting on the mandate we
02:49have from the 2024 general election,
02:52but not going back to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market,
02:55of course we respect those who are delivering on our mandate from 2024.
02:59But that closer UK-EU partnership in this world of trading blocks is a fundamental part of our foreign policy
03:07as well.
03:08I must ask you, Minister, because your government is on fragile ground.
03:12There is an imminent leadership contest, I would say.
03:15And one of the challenges of former Health Secretary West Streeting has described Brexit as a catastrophic mistake,
03:21saying that the future of Britain is in the European Union.
03:25Do you, to an extent, agree with him?
03:28I don't think this is the moment to rerun the arguments of 2016.
03:32I think this is a point to look forward, not back.
03:36And I think in looking forward, what we are doing is building, and I am building week by week,
03:44that closer UK-EU relationship and doing so in the international context that we find ourselves in.
03:52So it has a number of dimensions.
03:54Working more closely on security and defence, absolutely fundamental with our European partners.
04:00Working on energy security, and that's why I've been, in recent weeks,
04:05I've formally, together with Mara Stevkovic,
04:07opened negotiations on UK participation in the internal electricity market.
04:12And I'm doing that so that we are able to deliver that energy security going forward,
04:16but also to try to bear down on bills as well.
04:20But also on trade and food security.
04:23These are fundamentals of our policy going forward, delivering for people in the UK.
04:28But also, it's in the EU's interest as well.
04:30There is polling, Minister, that suggests that the public perception, opinion on Brexit has shifted.
04:36That a majority of people now would support rejoining the EU.
04:40And this is coming up in the public debate.
04:43And do you think there is a case to be made for that,
04:46especially given the situation you've just described of trading blocks, of geopolitical friction and so on?
04:52Well, I think that public opinion is not far from where the government is, actually.
04:58I think the government's position is broadly supported by public opinion.
05:01And I don't detect, and I've been up and down the country campaigning over many years,
05:06a desire to rerun arguments that took place between 2016 and 2019-20 in the UK.
05:13I want to ask you about your talks with Mara Stevkovic, the EU's trade chief.
05:17I know you've been in very close touch with him over the past years.
05:22And you are seeking closer alignment with the single markets, but you're keeping those red lines.
05:27No entry into the single markets or the customs union or freedom of movement.
05:31How faithful are you this approach will work?
05:35Well, it has been working.
05:37It delivered the common understanding last year.
05:40It's already delivering benefits.
05:42And I'm very confident it will continue to deliver benefits for the British people across this parliament.
05:48And let me just give some specific examples, because let's talk about the food and drink agreement.
05:52Now, those who oppose the work I am doing are saying to businesses in the agricultural and agri-food sectors
05:59that the situation we have at the moment, where we've had to have over a million export health certificates,
06:05up to £200 a time, issued to UK businesses, UK exporters since 2023.
06:11I've held one of these.
06:13I've been presented with one of these by a business.
06:16Pages and pages.
06:18Dozens of wet stamps all over it.
06:20I want to take away that red tape.
06:22I want to take away that cost from businesses.
06:24Those who oppose what I'm doing will have to explain to those businesses why they want to reimpose them.
06:30You mentioned you're negotiating a series of new deals.
06:33You sound very positive on the SPS, on the agri-food exports, as well as the carbon emissions trading system.
06:38I want to ask you about the third aspect of this, which is youth experience or youth mobility.
06:45How is this going?
06:47Because you officials have been telling me that it is tough to close this deal by the summer.
06:52What are the bones of contention here?
06:55I think with the youth experience scheme, it's very important that we do have both the limit, the cap, but
07:02also particular time limits as well.
07:05And I've always seen the youth experience scheme in the context of the UK's 13 existing youth mobility schemes.
07:14But listen, of course we will have, over the period left before we have this annual summit, we are going
07:21to have, of course, pressures to close final bits of the negotiation.
07:25I'm very, very used to that.
07:26But we shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture here because the youth experience scheme will have real opportunities in
07:34it, of course for young Europeans, but for young Brits as well.
07:38We're going to be able, as we've always seen it, to have a very broad scheme around study, around work
07:45and around travel.
07:46But when I reflect on the last 10 years, you know, post-Brexit, consequences of what the previous Conservative governments
07:54did, it was opportunities for young people.
07:57It was one of the things that really bothered me, that opportunities that previously existed no longer did.
08:02And I am very proud of what we are now going to be put forward to young people.
08:05And I think the youth experience scheme is going to be a really positive part of that.
08:08Can I ask you what type of caps are you looking at?
08:10What type of limits for young youth citizens coming to stay, work in the UK?
08:16What are the numbers?
08:16Well, listen, I have to give you the government minister answer here, which is, of course, that these are ongoing
08:21negotiations at the moment.
08:23But in terms of the parameters of the youth experience scheme, they're written down in the common understanding we signed
08:28last year.
08:28And are you confident that the Brussels attaches as much importance to this as you do as a government?
08:36Because some would say the time is on their side, they're not in a rush.
08:38I really do.
08:40And I say that because, not just because of my relationship with Mara Sefcovic, but as you can imagine,
08:45I've got to know the lead officials in the Commission very, very well over the past two years or more.
08:51And I could never fault the amount of time and urgency that they have given to this, and certainly to
08:58me over the past couple of years.
08:59That's never been an issue.
09:00And Minister, how confident are you that this will be wrapped up?
09:04I am very confident of closing this deal.
09:08Of course we will get moments, as you always do, moments of difficulty in the final parts of negotiation.
09:14But I am very confident of closing this deal and delivering a very successful 2026 summit.
09:19We know that Reform UK, the party of Nigel Farage, is topping the polls.
09:23That is the reality.
09:25Does that mean that you're looking to Farage-proof, let's say, these deals,
09:30to make sure that a prospective future anti-European government here in London
09:36does not undo the important work, as you say, that you've been doing?
09:40Well, first of all, if a party at the next general election wants to put the costs back on businesses
09:47that I propose take off
09:48or take away the opportunities to young people that this government has delivered, I would relish that debate.
09:53But the point is this.
09:54When you talk about durability of arrangements, in any international context,
10:00durable arrangements that last for many years are because they deliver for both sides.
10:05And the best thing to make any deal durable is to ensure that it's delivering for young people,
10:11it's delivering for businesses, it's delivering for, in this case, obviously the British public, but also Europeans as well.
10:16I am very confident that we are going to do that.
10:19Finally, Minister, final question.
10:21I want to come back to the situation of the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
10:26Brexit has emerged as one of the issues that could define a potential leadership contest.
10:33I know that you work very closely with him in your role in restoring EU ties.
10:40Do you think at this point there should be a slight shift in his strategy?
10:47Does he need to be a little bit more ambitious, more bold in calling for even more collaboration with the
10:55European Union?
10:56Is that the way to go? Has he been too hesitant, too careful, not to alienate those red wall traditional
11:02Labour voters that support Brexit?
11:04No, he has been ambitious.
11:06And indeed, throughout this calendar year, we've been talking not just about delivering the summit,
11:11but how we want to deliver beyond the summit as well.
11:14And I think the Prime Minister has been both ambitious on UK, EU, and just look, you're interviewing me here
11:22as we speak in the Cabinet Office.
11:24I'm right next door to the Prime Minister.
11:27This agenda is so important to this Prime Minister.
11:30I've always had his personal authority to do this job right at the centre of the government.
11:35And that's been the case since July 2024.
11:39So this has always been a top priority for the Prime Minister.
11:42Second, he's always shown not just ambition, but also shown that he and this government can deliver.
11:49And it's that delivery that's the most important thing.
11:52OK. Minister Nick Thomas-Symons, thank you for speaking to us.
11:55Thank you.
11:55Thank you.
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