EU negotiators have made clear that progress on the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal, designed to ease checks on British food exports, is conditional on the number of young Europeans granted the right to live, work and study in the UK. Both sides had earlier agreed to pursue a series of targeted agreements as part of a broader reset of post-Brexit trade terms, but Brussels is now tying progress to youth mobility numbers. The development places additional pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who has pledged to secure the food safety deal as part of his election manifesto.
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Previously, the Prime Minister allowed European vessels access to British waters for 12 years in return for headway on the SPS agreement. Downing Street is keen to conclude the deal by early 2027, in the hope that it will reduce costs for consumers. Speaking after talks with his EU counterpart, Maros Sefcovic, Brexit minister Nick Thomas-Symonds suggested youth mobility negotiations would run in parallel with the food safety discussions. He described the Government’s approach as a “package” covering multiple strands of the talks.
The EU is expected to press for higher quotas under the scheme, with countries such as Poland and Romania lobbying for as many places as possible. British sources have stressed that the “youth experience” programme must be capped to avoid impacting net migration levels, particularly as ministers face mounting pressure to reduce arrivals amid the small boats crisis. EU negotiators have previously linked separate issues to gain leverage, a tactic once dubbed “fish for financial services” during earlier Brexit talks. Similar tactics may now be deployed to secure concessions on youth mobility.
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Mr Thomas-Symonds, speaking in Bruges, emphasised the value of such exchanges, saying they would allow young people in the UK and EU to “study, work, live abroad – build friendships, understanding and create opportunities.” Meanwhile, EU member states have approved Britain’s participation in the bloc’s €150 billion SAFE defence programme, enabling UK firms to bid for contracts from November.
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