Minister 'pushing' for deal over use of EU passport e-gates

A deal that would allow UK passport holders to use EU e-gates at airports is being "pushed for", a government minister has confirmed.

European relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is leading negotiations ahead of a UK-EU summit in London, said an agreement to stop people being stuck in border queues "would be a very sensible objective".

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he also set out his hopes for a deal on youth mobility and said he was "confident" about changes to lower food prices.

Conservative MP Alex Burghart claimed the government's proposed deal with the EU could mean the UK becoming a "rule taker".

The UK and EU will hold their first bilateral summit since Brexit on Monday, described by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as a "really significant moment".

Both parties are hoping to agree deals on a number of issues, including trade and security.

Describing talks as in "the very final hours", Thomas-Symonds said he was focused on jobs, lower household bills and stronger borders.

Asked whether he was confident British travellers would be able to use EU e-gates at European airports, he said: "I'm certainly pushing for people to be able to go through far more quickly.

"I think we can all agree that not being stuck in queues and having more time to spend, whether it's on holiday or work trips, having more time to do what you want ... would be a very sensible objective."

The minister said he was also keen to make progress on lowering food prices by reducing red tape and was confident but added "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".

He added: "We know we've had lorries waiting for 16 hours, fresh food in the back not able to be exported because frankly it's just going off, red tape, all the certifications that are required, we absolutely want to reduce that."

Burghart told the programme his main concern was the government signing up to EU standards and becoming "a rule taker - one of the things we specifically left behind when we left the EU".

He said the government had not ruled out "dynamic alignment", which would see the UK and EU maintain equivalent regulatory standards on food and trade, despite the UK not being "in the room" when future decisions are taken.

He added: "As the government hasn't ruled that out we have to assume it's very firmly on the table and is about to happen.

"And if it is about to happen, then that is a surrender of some of Britain's sovereignty and we won't stand for it".

On a deal around whether young people from the EU can come to live and work in the UK and vice versa, Thomas-Symonds insisted he was negotiating around "a smart and controlled scheme", adding "nobody is remotely suggesting that's freedom of movement. That's a red line for us".

The minister did not respond directly to questioning on whether there would be a cap on numbers or a specific time limit, but did stress "that control element is hugely important".

He also denied there were plans to exempt student numbers from overall migration figures and added "anything agreed - and I stress this is in sensitive final hours - will be consistent with reducing the level of net migration as we've promised".

Appearing on the same programme, Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller said he was "troubled by the sense the government isn't seizing this moment, in the context of a changed environment, to really go further" on EU relations.

The party's spokesperson for foreign affairs said "setting ourselves on an ambitious path towards a customs union is the best way to give some certainty to British businesses".