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‘There is a compelling case that young people should be the first to benefit from a strengthened UK/EU relationship’
Last week the Prime Minister was categorical - this government is committed to pursuing ever closer ties with the European Union. This matters for businesses seeking to grow, to the quiet majority who tell the pollsters they believe Brexit was a mistake and young people hopeful that the benefits enjoyed by previous generations might yet be open to them again in the future.
There is a settled consensus that our economy is smaller because of Brexit, with most studies converging on lost output of around £100 billion. More than 16,000 UK businesses have stopped trading with the EU altogether, trade barriers have added £250 to an annual grocery bill and the average Brit is around £2,000 poorer. More than five years on, we are weaker, poorer and less free.
Few have felt the impact as acutely as Britain’s young people. Millions now at college, university or in work were too young to vote in 2016. Those who did get the chance are now in their late 20s and of course voted overwhelmingly to Remain. In the football community on social media, a ‘Brexit tackle’ is now a phrase for a reckless challenge in which you do more damage to yourself than the opponent. That says it all.
There is a compelling case that young people should be the first to benefit from a strengthened UK/EU relationship and that was part of my motivation in publicly calling for the Government to embrace a Youth Mobility deal in the spring this year, along with more than 60 of my Labour Parliamentary colleagues [ [link removed] ]. Within a few short weeks, a commitment to negotiate a reciprocal EU-UK Youth Experience Scheme (YES) was part of the summit agreement in May.
First proposed by the UK Trade and Business Commission [ [link removed] ] in May 2023, a scheme with the EU, like those we already have with Australia, Japan, Canada and 10 other countries would give young Brits the opportunity to live, work and travel across Europe again, and would afford young Europeans the same opportunity to come here. Recent polling by Best for Britain shows that the idea is backed by seven in ten of all voters.
I was delighted with the progress in the spring, but we’re now at the crunch stage – turning an agreement in principle to a policy that works. As is normal in any negotiation, there is briefing from both sides on their respective priorities. The UK Trade and Business Commission has been watching closely, meeting with stakeholders in Brussels and Westminster and has this week published a report with 17 recommendations [ [link removed] ] to inform the design of the policy.
The debate in the UK will focus on the numbers of people permitted to use the scheme this year. Our recommendation is to cap numbers at 44,000 in the first year, but for this to be viewed as a floor, not a ceiling. A scheme with 44,000 visas for EU citizens to travel to the UK (and vice versa) would be more generous than any the UK has with any other country in the world. It would be a statement of intent. It would also recognise that the UK’s existing schemes (with the likes of Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc) tend to reduce net migration, or at least come out broadly neutral. So, imagine a scenario in which in year one, 44,000 EU citizens come to the UK and 34,000 Brits head to the EU – that’s just a 10,000 increase to net migration. Accordingly, you could raise the cap in year two, with more people benefitting, a negligible impact on overall migration figures and a joint commitment to review the situation annually.
On the duration of a Youth Experience Scheme, a 2 year basic programme commands the broadest support with the UK public and is one we endorse, with an option for applicants to apply for a one-year extension. Our report also makes clear that the scheme must drive down entry fees (NHS surcharges, visa fees etc) and have an explicit commitment to opening up Youth Experience to young people from all backgrounds – not just those who come from more comfortable families and might typically be able to afford a ‘gap year’.
There are many young people and former Remain voters who are impatient for change. I’ve no doubt that some will advocate for an uncapped scheme or who would want to aim for much higher numbers in year one. But as a Pro-European politician, we are still bound by the art of the possible. After more than a decade of the UK and EU drifting apart, I want an ambitious Youth Experience Scheme, but most of all, I want something that can be delivered, is a success and can be built on in the future.
Let’s seize this opportunity, negotiate a deal that works and look back in a few years time and say that it was a successful Youth Experience Scheme that was the catalyst for the stronger UK/EU relationship that so many millions of Brits and Europeans want to become a reality.
Andrew Lewin is MP for Welwyn Hatfield and chair of the cross party UK Trade and Business Commission.
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