Ben Pawlowski
POST-BREXIT freedom of movement rules could be relaxed as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s attempt to reset relations with the European Union, sources close to the UK government have claimed.
Labour had previously insisted that it had ‘no plans’ to restore freedom of movement after The Daily Telegraph reported that Starmer had discussed the possibility of thrashing out a bilateral youth mobility deal with Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish premier.
However, government sources quoted by The Times have revealed that ministers are now prepared to allow young Europeans to work and live in Britain in exchange for reciprocal rights for young Brits.
Government officials are said to have privately recognised that youth mobility is a key sticking point in upcoming negotiations, and that the UK would have to ‘give ground’ on the issue in order to receive separate concessions from the trading bloc.
The move could allow EU nationals under the age of 30, including Spaniards, being allowed to live and work in the UK for up to three years, with an equivalent arrangement for Brits entering the EU.
The UK currently has similar mobility deals with Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
A government source told The Times: “No one will say it publicly at this stage but there is an acknowledgement that this is an area where we will need to move. If we are serious about resetting relations with the EU then we need to be prepared to give them some of the things that they want”.
Sir Keir Starmer, who became Prime Minister after his Labour Party secured a massive majority in July’s general election, promised to reset relations with the EU, although he stopped short of vowing to revive freedom of movement or rejoin the customs union.
In April, Starmer rejected the idea of a EU-wide youth mobility deal floated by officials in Brussels amid fears such a move would increase net migration figures.
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His Labour Party have stated a desire to improve trading relations via a veterinary agreement which would reduce checks on food entering the EU, whilst government officials also want British qualifications to be officially recognised within EU law.
Charles Grant, the director of the Center for European Reform, said that ‘there are at least three areas where the EU is looking for movement from the new government: youth mobility, Erasmus and a long term deal on fishing rights’.
In 2018, more than 9,990 British students spent at least two months at EU universities as part of their studies thanks to the Erasmus university exchange programme – however, Britain left the programme after the Brexit vote.
Starmer is set to meet Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, in the coming weeks, although formal negotiations over a new deal are unlikely to begin until later this year.
