Cooperation and collaboration are the watchwords of the ‘strategic bilateral framework’ signed by Prime Ministers Starmer and Sanchez on 3 September.  Clutching at a thesaurus, cooperation is to be increased, enhanced, deepened, strengthened, unlocked and promoted across a wide spectrum of activities itemised in 48 paragraphs.  None of it is legally binding, but the warm tones of free exchange between close partners is hugely welcome as the UK rebuilds relations after Brexit.  Gibraltar is not mentioned, but progress behind the scenes enabled the framework to take shape.

Officials in particular are going to be seeing a lot of their counterparts to put flesh on the bones.  Ministers and civil servants commit to an annual dialogue at Foreign Minister level, another at Trade Minister level, a regular forum of business leaders, Memorandums of Understanding on labour, defence and energy security issues, a working group on education, a panel on clean energy, an annual Transport dialogue, the annual Tertulia and more besides.  There are hints of progress towards easier business travel and e-gate channels at airports.  And another tease about ‘fostering mobility opportunities for our citizens’.

Of particular interest to the BSS is the commitment to enhancing educational links, notably at university level, and strengthening ties between cultural institutions. Our partners at the Cervantes Institute, Cañada Blanch and British Council get a namecheck.  Sadly, there is no mention of additional budgets to back up these initiatives, but our charity will continue to be at the forefront of supporting mutual exchanges of outstanding post-graduates.  We note too that the governments will ‘facilitate the exchange of our language and cultural teachers and students through existing routes within our domestic immigration systems, supporting the learning of Spanish in the UK and English in Spain’.  

Building bridges is what we are all about, so we warmly greet the sight of the scaffolding rising to the sky.