00:07My guest today is Nick Thomas-Simmons, the UK's Minister for European Union Relations.
00:13We speak just ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum and as the UK and EU prepare
00:21for a July summit where they're expected to close a series of deals on agri-food exports,
00:26electricity and a youth experience scheme. We discuss the geopolitical and economic consequences
00:34of Brexit and about the challenges facing the Prime Minister Keir Starmer as his government
00:41looks like it's on increasingly fragile ground. Minister Nick Thomas-Simmons, thank you so much
00:48for speaking to Euronews. It's been 10 years since the UK voted to leave the European Union
00:55and as we speak Brexit is back at the heart of UK politics. I'd like to ask you first,
01:01do you think that your government is making Brexit work for the UK?
01:05Well first of all it's great to join you and yes we are making it work and that's been my
01:11job
01:12as the UK's lead negotiator with the EU over these past two years but also the work I did
01:18before that when we were in opposition. We delivered last year the common understanding
01:23in May the very important security and defence partnership complementing that foundation stone
01:31of our security and defence policy NATO but also I was particularly delighted to have signed the
01:38reaccession to Erasmus Plus just before Christmas but also we have the package that we want to agree
01:45this year's UK EU summit. But on the economic relationship do you think you've been moving
01:52quick enough on this because there are recent studies that show that perhaps Brexit has taken
01:57a hit of up to six to eight percent on GDP per head for example and have you moved quick
02:03enough
02:03to restore those economic trade ties? We are certainly moving very quickly and I would also say that
02:11I inherited a status quo that wasn't working there's no doubt about the damage that the previous
02:19government's handling of Brexit did and that's exactly been my role looking at changing that
02:27trading relationship building a closer UK EU relationship let me just say why that is so
02:32important because we do live now in a very changed world to the one of 10 years ago we live
02:39in a world of
02:40trading blocks and it is so important that whilst respecting the result of the 2016 referendum and
02:47acting on the mandate we have from the 2024 general election but not going back to freedom of movement
02:54the customs union or the single market of course we respect those we are delivering on our mandate from
02:582024 but that closer UK EU partnership in this world of trading blocks is a fundamental part of our foreign
03:07policy as well. I must ask you minister because your government is on fragile ground and there is an
03:13imminent leadership contest some would say and one of the challenges of former health secretary West
03:18has described Brexit as a catastrophic mistake saying that the future of Britain is in the European Union do you
03:26to an extent agree with him? I don't think this is the moment to rerun the arguments of 2016 I
03:33think this is a point
03:34to look forward not back and I think in looking forward what we are doing is building and I am
03:43building week by week
03:44that closer UK EU relationship and doing so in the international context that we find ourselves in so it has
03:52a number of dimensions
03:53working 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 I've formally together with Mara Stefkovic
04:07open negotiations on UK participation in the internal electricity market and I'm doing that so that we are able to
04:14deliver that
04:15energy security going forward but also to try to bear down on bills as well but also on trade and
04:22food security
04:23these are fundamentals of our policy going forward delivering for people in the UK but also it's in the EU's
04:29interest as well.
04:30There is polling minister that suggests that the public perception opinion on Brexit has shifted that a majority of people
04:38now would support rejoining the EU and this is coming up in the public debate and do you think there
04:45is a case to be made
04:46for that especially given the situation you've just described of trading blocks of geopolitical friction and so on?
04:53Well I think that public opinion is not far from where the government is actually I think the government's position
04:59is broadly
04:59supported by public opinion. I don't detect and I've been up and down the country campaigning over many years a
05:07desire 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 Stefkovic, the EU's trade chief. I know you've been in
05:18very close touch with him over the past years and you are seeking closer alignment with the single markets but
05:25you're keeping those red lines.
05:27No entry into the single markets or the customs union or freedom of movement. How faithful are you this approach
05:33will work?
05:35Well it has been working. It delivered the common understanding last year. It's already delivering benefits and I'm very confident
05:43it will continue to deliver benefits for the British people across this parliament.
05:47Let me just give some specific examples because let's talk about the food and drink agreement. Now those who oppose
05:54the work I am doing are saying to businesses in the agricultural and agri-food sectors that the situation we
06:01have at the moment where we've had to have over a million export health certificates up to £200 a time
06:07issued to UK businesses, UK exporters since 2023.
06:11I've held one of these. I've been presented with one of these by a business. Pages and pages, dozens of
06:19wet stamps all over it. I want to take away that red tape. I want to take away that cost
06:23from businesses.
06:24Those who oppose what I'm doing will have to explain to those businesses why they want to re-impose them.
06:30You mentioned you're negotiating a series of new deals. You sound very positive on the SPS, on the agri-food
06:36exports 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? Because you officials have been telling me that it is tough to close this deal by
06:52the summer. What 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, who are going to be able, as we've
07:40always seen it, to have a very broad scheme around study, around work and around travel.
07:46When I reflect on the last 10 years, post-Brexit, consequences of what the previous Conservative governments did, it was
07:55opportunities for young people that was one of the things that really bothered me, that opportunities that previously existed no
08:01longer did.
08:02And I am very proud of what we are now going to be put forward to young people, and I
08:05think 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? What type of limits for young youth citizens
08:13coming to stay, work in the UK? What are the numbers?
08:17Well, 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?
08:35Because some would say that time is on their side, they're not in a rush.
08:39I really do, and I say that because, not just because of my relationship with Mara Sefcovic, but as you
08:45can imagine, I've got to know the lead officials in the Commission very, very well over the past two years
08:50or 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 the 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, to make sure that a prospective future
09:33anti-European government here in London does 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 to take off or take away the opportunities to young people that this government has delivered, I
09:52would relish that debate.
09:53But the point is this, when you talk about durability of arrangements, in any international context, durable arrangements that last
10:02for 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, it's delivering
10:11for businesses, it's delivering for, in this case, obviously the British public, but also Europeans as well.
10:16And I 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?
10:57Has he been too hesitant, too careful not to alienate those red wall traditional Labour voters that support Brexit?
11:04He has been ambitious, and indeed, throughout this calendar year, we've been talking not just about delivering the summit, but
11:12how we want to deliver beyond the summit as well.
11:15And 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, and that's been
11:36the case since July 2024.
11:38So 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.
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