Keir Starmer and the Spanish PM reportedly discussed a youth mobility scheme

28 July 2024 , 07:32

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Keir Starmer and the Spanish PM reportedly discussed a youth mobility scheme

Labour leader reportedly did not reject Pedro Sánchez’s proposal for free movement agreement

Keir Starmer has discussed the possibility of a youth mobility scheme with the Spanish prime minister, according to reports.

Pedro Sánchez is said to have put the proposal to Starmer in a private meeting during the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace earlier this month. 

Starmer did not reject the idea and told Sánchez he would consider it, the Sunday Telegraph reports.

Recent years have seen growing calls for a scheme that would allow young people to live, study or work in the EU for a limited period.

In April, Rishi Sunak rejected an offer from the European Commission that would have granted people aged 18 to 30 free movement for up to four years.

At the time, Labour said it had no plans for such a scheme but that it would “seek to improve the UK’s working relationship with the EU within our red lines”.

The manifesto on which Labour won the election earlier this month said there would be “no return to … freedom of movement”. A bilateral deal with Spain would not in itself break that pledge.

The UK already has some form of youth mobility scheme with 13 non-EU countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as Japan, Iceland and Uruguay.

The existing schemes differ from freedom of movement in that they typically still require applicants to get a visa, provide evidence of sufficient funds to support themselves and pay a health service surcharge.

A government spokesperson told the Telegraph: “We have been clear that we won’t rejoin the single market, customs union or reintroduce freedom of movement, and we are not considering a youth mobility scheme.”

In January, London mayor Sadiq Khan called for a deal that would allow young people to move freely to and from the EU, saying it would help lessen the economic and cultural damage caused by Brexit.

He said the current Brexit deal had “done damage right across London and it is young people who have been hardest hit in so many ways”.

James Smith