Who or what is Keir Starmer frightened of? With July’s landslide victory under his belt, he doesn’t have to face the electorate for another five years. The rightwing media will attack him and Labour irrespective of what he says and does, but he can afford to ignore them. Meanwhile, surveys consistently show that a majority in the UK agree that Brexit has been a disaster. And yet Sir Keir won’t even begin to consider an EU-UK youth mobility scheme that is measurable and controllable, and would be hugely beneficial to the young people who will one day be responsible for this country (EU pushes Keir Starmer to open door to youth mobility scheme as PM heads to Brussels, 1 October).
In the context of overall immigration, the potential numbers would be negligible – the whole point is an exchange, not residence. But as a symbol of the change that Labour claims to embody, and as an investment in future generations and a refutation of the appalling narrow nationalism that inflicted Brexit on us, agreeing to it would signal the start of the UK returning to open-minded and welcoming dialogue with its nearest neighbours and allies. So what’s stopping Sir Keir?
Don Keller
Harringay, London
• Your editorial (2 October) is quite right to say that Starmer needs “courage and candour” to reset relations with the EU. And, as Zoe Williams says, he needs good sense too (Starmer is boxing himself in over Europe – and putting approval ratings above young people’s futures, 4 October). He could use his position of authority to promote a reframed narrative about the value of links with Europe, the benefits of immigration and the need for safe and legal routes for asylum seekers.
He also needs to argue that the UK already has a dozen youth mobility schemes across the world, so why on earth not one with Europe too? I fear Starmer’s pattern may be to cave in to the xenophobic agenda of Reform and the rightwing press on the immigration issue. The worrying lesson from Europe is that parties that try to mimic the far right end up being devoured by them.
Gideon Ben-Tovim
University of Liverpool
• My daughter is a musician living and working in the Netherlands, where she started her career after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in London and a year’s postgraduate study in Germany. All this happened well before Brexit. She was able to progress from the Norfolk Youth Orchestra to the National Youth Orchestra, then to the European Youth Orchestra, without any restrictions on her movement. I’m sure many young people today would love to have such opportunities, whether in the arts or in other professions.
I’m growing increasingly dismayed by Keir Starmer’s craven attitude towards far-right populism as far as the EU is concerned. He should not block free youth movement and refuse to even consider it. He should not be afraid of what Farage and co might think. In fact, any self-respecting centre-left politician should consider criticism from such quarters as a badge of honour.
In the meantime, I will soon be fingerprinted just to visit my daughter when the new EU entry-exit system kicks in. I wonder how many Brexit voters will enjoy the border security queues and travel restrictions they effectively voted for when they jet off to their next holiday in the EU. Starmer should think ahead: Brexit is going to become more unpopular, not less.
Chris Green
Norwich
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