Keir Starmer is under growing pressure to relent on his opposition to introducing the Youth Mobility Scheme to allow under-30s to travel freely between the EU and UK and rejoin the Erasmus scheme for students.
A petition launched by the pro-EU European Movement supporting both schemes has hit 50,000 signatures, piling pressure on the Labour government to agree to it.
The new prime minister has vowed to renegotiate the flawed agreement made by Boris Johnson with the EU and began work this week by launching talks for a new bilateral deal with Germany to be concluded in six months.
The prime minister was on a whistlestop tour of Germany and France meeting chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron.
But at the press conference in Berlin, Sir Keir also made it clear that he would not agree to the Youth Mobility Scheme and insisted he would stay within his own self-imposed red lines on not reversing Brexit, not reintroducing free movement of people or entering the single market or customs union.
There were reports that he was planning to “leave the door open” on the youth mobility scheme, which is strongly supported by the Germans, and would even be willing to consider free movement of people in a wider sense. But a Downing Street source said this was “not true” and “nonsense”.
The source said: “We are not considering it; there are no plans for this or any work being done on it.”
German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has emerged as a key ally for Starmer in the renegotiation, is understood to be keen for the UK and EU to agree the schemes.
One of the biggest criticisms of Brexit was that it harmed the opportunities of young people, especially in the UK, by denying them the chance to travel easily, live and work in the EU.
Addressing the landmark reached with signatures for the petition, Cecilia Jastrzembska, President of Young European Movement, said: “The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union has had a devastating impact on opportunities for young people, particularly our withdrawal from the Erasmus student exchange scheme.
“The silence on the UK/ EU relationship must be broken and cooperation between us agreed sensibly and in good faith. YEM UK looks forward to Sir Keir Starmer strengthening relations with our European neighbours.”
Dr Mike Galsworthy, Chair of European Movement UK and founder of Scientists For EU, said: “There should be no barrier now. The British public voted for change. Opening up youth opportunities with Europe is clearly something they’d like to see change on. So the question is — where is it?”
European Movement UK was formed in 1949 by Sir Winston Churchill, to prevent further conflict between European countries. It remains a cross-party organisation campaigning on the benefits of close ties between the UK and EU and has campaigned to undo the harms caused by the UK’s departure from the EU.