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Welcome to your Weekend Wire from Best for Britain. From the Council of Europe meeting to discuss the ECHR, to rumoured movement on the UK’s reentry into the Erasmus+ scheme, it’s been a busy old week when it comes to UK-EU relations. Just the way we like it.
That’s all before we get to the launch of the UK Trade and Business Commission’s (UKTBC) new recommendations for a UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme (YES), including for the scheme to have an initial cap of 44,000 visas, which made great headlines ahead of the event on Wednesday morning.
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Read on for plenty more on all that - and our usual Brexit Corner, Cheerful News, and Cringe Column picks of the week.
Unconventional
The UK has joined other European countries in agreeing to negotiate a new approach to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which would make it easier to deport people who have arrived in the UK or Europe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Danish leader Mette Frederiksen wrote jointly in the Guardian [ [link removed] ] that “when trust in government to confront the challenges of today falters, our sense of shared belonging can begin to crack”.
Ministers, including the UK’s justice secretary and deputy prime minister David Lammy, met in Strasbourg, France [ [link removed] ], on Wednesday, to discuss reforming how the ECHR is interpreted in court. Now the 46 signatory nations will work towards a new political declaration at a summit in May.
However, Akiko Hart, director of human rights organisation Liberty, warned in response that the government “risks taking us down a road of no return by jeopardising the legal framework that protects us all”. She warned:
“The ECHR is a vital foundation of our freedoms, and it is essential that any changes do not open the door to the slow erosion of our rights, now or in the future.”
With friends like these…
The US President chose to hit out at the European continent during an almost 45-minute interview with Politico [ [link removed] ] journalist Dasha Burns this week, describing us as a “decaying” group of nations led by “weak” people. Ouch! His comments - which included continuing his attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan as a “disaster” - came after Politico named Trump the most influential figure shaping European politics in the year ahead.
His language also echoed America’s new national security strategy, published last week [ [link removed] ], and - worryingly - praised by Russia [ [link removed] ]. The document claimed Europe faces “civilisational erasure” due to migration and EU integration, within the next 20 years, and stated that the US must “cultivate resistance” within the continent to “Europe’s current trajectory”.
On Thursday, however, EU Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen hit back, warning Trump not to get involved in European democracy. Also speaking to Politico [ [link removed] ], she stressed that “it is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country… that’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected”.
Capping it off
The UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) this week launched its shiny new recommendations for the creation of a UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme (YES). The YES, also known as a youth mobility scheme, for the UK and Europe’s young people should be capped at 44,000 visas in the first year and then reviewed, the commission recommended - which would ensure the programme has no impact on overall net migration figures.
The recommendations were covered in the i paper [ [link removed] ], and the Times [ [link removed] ], and in countless local news outlets, while UKTBC chair Andrew Lewin penned a piece for the Best for Britain Wire [ [link removed] ] on the “compelling case that young people should be the first to benefit from a strengthened UK/EU relationship”. Policy officer Ayesha Chaudry shared her take [ [link removed] ] on why a YES would be a “sign to young people that our futures still matter, and that the world is not closing in on us, but opening back up”.
Our CEO Naomi Smith also delivered her powerful argument on why a win on youth mobility is vital to progressing the UK-EU negotiations further on Politics Home [ [link removed] ]. While former Conservative MP George Eustice outlined his thoughts on the report for LBC Opinion [ [link removed] ], describing it as a “cogent negotiating mandate for the UK government”.
Guardian columnist Zoe Williams, in her piece on the report [ [link removed] ], suggested it was an “important warning” that “young Britons, their interests disregarded so openly, so shamelessly, will leave and move mountains to not come back”. Finishing: “As Sting would tell you, if you love them, set them free.”
A huge thanks, of course, to our fantastic panellists for their insights at our launch event on Wednesday. You can read the full report on the UKTBC website [ [link removed] ].
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Ukraine latest
Negotiations continued this week on the US’ ongoing efforts to broker a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, with Trump, the EU and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy exchanging plans and counter-plans. Talks between Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine, and potentially the US, are expected to continue this weekend, Politico’s London Playbook reported on Friday [ [link removed] ], ahead of Starmer heading to Berlin for even more discussions on Monday. The latest twist appears to be the suggestion a ‘free economic zone’ could be created in the Donbas [ [link removed] ], which would be protected from Russian forces. Ukraine, of course, wants strong security guarantees.
The Coalition of the Willing (COW) had another joint call on Thursday, while Starmer met with the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in No10 on Friday, in a bid to persuade him to use the €140bn of frozen Russian assets - of the €165bn total - held in Belgium to support Ukraine. The clock is ticking on the aim to get a deal ahead of Thursday’s European Council summit.
Amid all this, the death of 28-year-old Lance Corporal George Hooley in Ukraine, confirmed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) [ [link removed] ] this week, was a sobering reminder, both of the present danger of Russia, and of the sacrifices of the brave men and women - of Ukraine, Britain and Europe - who have given their lives to protect our safety and freedoms.
Down with the kids
Starmer joined Trump, Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s 30m users on TikTok this week [ [link removed] ], launching his account with a festive video of him switching on the No10 Christmas lights.
In another video, the PM revisited his one actually trendy moment - the school visit that got him told off by the headmaster for leading a classroom in the ‘6-7’ trend. And another video - meant to show a more natural Starmer (we think) - has him wandering around No10, looking rather surprised by everything. Our highlight? Larry the cat, who gets some well-deserved screen time.
Awkwardly, the app remains banned from government devices due to security concerns. However, Downing Street confirmed there were “security mitigations” in place. So that’s alright then.
The PM’s spokesman said: “We are intent on reaching audiences where they are and communication is changing and people have a right to know about the decisions the government is taking that affect them and why and how that is. TikTok is simply another way to do that and reach that wider audience.”
But in all seriousness, Keir Starmer is finally waking up to the fact that TikTok matters - and at least that’s a small win. We won’t claim all the credit (see below).
In case you missed it…
Speaking of TikTok, let’s rewind to another fantastic piece which featured on the Best for Britain Wire last week [ [link removed] ].
Our social media manager Laurena Rodrigues spent months creating and monitoring two accounts on the video-sharing platform to learn more about the algorithm’s political leanings. And as she brilliantly explains:
‘Countless studies have documented exactly what we saw: the algorithm disproportionately favours right-wing content. A Global Witness investigation in Romania found that TikTok’s algorithm served nearly three times more far-right content than all other political content, and almost twice as much in Poland ahead of this year’s elections. Unlike other platforms, such as X, which seem deliberately designed to promote far-right content, with creators such as Tommy Robinson being incentivised by its owner Elon Musk. On TikTok, it may be less deliberate but the effect is pretty much the same. Far-right content tends to provoke strong emotional reactions, leading to more views and shares - which in turn, the algorithm rewards by pushing it further.
‘Nigel Farage has more than 1.3 million followers on Tiktok. Keir Starmer and Ed Davey? Zero. Neither has a TikTok account…voters- especially young voters- are craving, is for their elected leaders to use the platform to meaningfully engage with them.’
Out with the kids
In a sweeping new law this week, Australia banned under-16s [ [link removed] ] from social media. Platforms Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (£24.7 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove such accounts, PA reported. However, Reddit has since launched a High Court challenge against the ban.
Meanwhile, in Blighty, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said ministers would keep a “close eye” on the policy, as the government unveiled its own 10-year national youth plan- but said there were no current plans for Britain to ban social media for under-16s, but could look at it in the future.
She told Times Radio “we don’t think” it would be a good idea, adding: “We asked young people what they thought about it, and the overwhelming response was concerns about enforceability.
“Are we seriously saying that we’re going to start prosecuting young people for going on social media?”
Another one to watch?
Border conflict
Fierce clashes resumed between Thailand and Cambodia this week over a disputed land border in the north. The Guardian reported at least 20 people have been killed, and nearly 200 wounded. Trump - who claimed he had resolved the conflict earlier this year when he brokered a ceasefire in July - called on both countries to “fully honour their commitments”, according to an official who spoke anonymously to the Reuters news agency.
On Thursday, the Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved the country’s parliament, with new elections set to be held as soon as January, following a disagreement with the opposition party, who are crucial to his minority government. Announcing the decision in a Facebook post, he said he would “return power to the people”.
The i paper [ [link removed] ] reported this week that the UK is on course to rejoin the Erasmus student exchange scheme from January 2027, with “increasing optimism on both sides of negotiations that a deal can be struck before Christmas”.
Grab your passports, students!
Cheerful News of the Week
The recent string of Democrat wins in the US appears to have continued this week, with Eileen Higgins [ [link removed] ], 61, winning the Miami mayoral race in Florida with 59% of the vote. It marks the first time a Democrat has won the race in almost 30 years. Former county commissioner Higgins, who was endorsed by top Democrats including former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg, conclusively beat her Republican, Trump-endorsed opponent who got almost 41% and is the first woman to become Miami mayor.
At her celebration party, she told supporters: “Miami chose a new direction... you chose competence over chaos.” Higgins pledged to “lead a city that belongs to everyone” and has described Trump’s immigration enforcement actions as “inhumane and cruel”.
Bonus: Enjoy this lovely feature about the recovery of Britain’s otter population [ [link removed] ], which has gone from “almost nonexistent” some twenty years ago, to today’s “remarkable” revival.
Actual former Prime Minister of the UK Liz Truss launched her own YouTube TV programme [ [link removed] ] this week - creatively titled The Liz Truss Show - and the reviews are in.
Imogen West-Knights, at the Independent [ [link removed] ], warned would-be viewers Truss’ “opening monologue [is] delivered with the charm of a wet towel” and that the episode is “45 minutes long and you feel every second of it”. While Stuart Heritage, at the Guardian [ [link removed] ], dubbed it “barking mad”, and “a laundry list of MAGA stereotypes about the British”.
There were even some gems in the YouTube [ [link removed] ] comments, among Truss’s adoring fans. One viewer described her as “another brilliant Diane Morgan character” and another observed: “I’ve seen hostages read ‘they are treating me well’ statements with more enthusiasm.”
Monday next week sees the Prime Minister make one of his semi-regular appearances at the Liaison Committee, where he’s grilled by the chairs of the top Parliamentary committees.
That’s before International Migrants Day, on Thursday, when MPs also head off for the Christmas recess.
Have a good one.
Jessica Frank-Keyes
Senior Press Officer
Best for Britain
*With thanks to Laurena Rodrigues
The Best for Britain Wire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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