UK-EU Common Understanding Negotiations

Debate between Nick Thomas-Symonds and Monica Harding

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

I would certainly expect to see that collaborative approach.

[Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)]

My constituents will be delighted that the Government are returning the UK to Erasmus+. One of my constituents wrote to me this morning:

“It is a win for those of us who think that international learning should be open to all, not just the children of the rich who can afford international fees.”

But, she said:

“It is too late for me. I was 11 when Brexit happened and I am now 21, and in my last year of university.”

Will the Government undo the wrongs done to such kids by the last Conservative Government, and go further and faster by committing to a youth mobility scheme?

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

The Government are already committed to a youth experience scheme by the time of the next UK-EU summit. Whether it is through Erasmus+ today or the youth experience scheme, this Government are delivering concrete benefits and opportunities for young people.

UK-EU Relations

Debate between Nick Thomas-Symonds and Monica Harding

Thursday 6th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We speak to businesses, and they want fewer barriers to trade. It is astonishing that the modern Conservative party does not seem to share that view.

[Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)]

I welcome the Minister’s statement on closer co-operation with the EU on defence and security, but on the day the Bank of England cut its growth forecast from 1.5% to 0.75%, does the Minister agree that the single biggest thing we could do to turbocharge our economy in the medium and longer-terms is to form a customs union with the EU?

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

We were elected on a manifesto that set out clear red lines, but of course there is significant economic advantage, not just to the United Kingdom but to citizens all across Europe, in the reset that we are now looking to take forward. Whether in making our citizens more prosperous, or in making them safer and more secure, that work will deliver for Britain.