The EU has called on Sir Keir Starmer to agree to an uncapped youth mobility scheme as his government attempts to reset relations with Brussels.
Officials hope to sign a youth movement pact next year, to be introduced by 2027, which would see young British and European citizens given the right to live and work in each other’s countries.
But Brussels does not want a cap on the number of young adults who can come to the UK under the scheme and have called for its students to be given ‘equal treatment’ with their British peers.
The EU wants them to be exempt from paying international university fees, which can be as much as twice that for domestic students and wants Sir Keir to wave the NHS surcharge fee.
Britain has several youth mobility schemes in place with other countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Canada.
It allows 18 to 35-year-olds from those nations to live and work in the UK for up to two years as long as they can prove they have £2,530 in savings and pay an NHS surcharge.
The surcharge currently costs £776 per year regardless of age and provides free access to NHS healthcare in England.
The number of people arriving in the UK under youth mobility schemes is strictly capped, with Australia having the highest annual limit of 35,000 visas.
The EU has called on Sir Keir Starmer to agree to an uncapped youth mobility scheme as his government attempts to reset relations with Brussels.
Labour ministers have been divided by the plans, with some in favour of the widest possible scheme in the hopes it could boost growth, while others fear a backlash from voters worried about immigration, the Times reported.
Despite ruling out a cap or quotas, European diplomatic sources have envisaged an emergency clause if there was a sudden surge in numbers, the newspaper added.
One source said: ‘We do not see the need for setting a quota or cap. What is wrong with our young Europeans? We do not have a problem with young Brits.
‘It will not be a free-for-all as there will be conditions as well as the age and time of stay limits.’
A government spokesperson said: ‘We are working together with the EU to create a balanced youth experience scheme which will create new opportunities for young people to live, work, study and travel.
‘As agreed with the EU in May, any final scheme must be time-limited and capped. We will not give a running commentary on ongoing talks.’
Talks on the matter are continuing in Brussels, with both sides hoping to reach a deal early in the new year before the second UK/EU summit in the spring.
Europe minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is expected to discuss the plans further when he meets the EU’s Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in the Belgian capital on Wednesday.
Starmer has already admitted he is looking at multiple ways to bring the UK closer to the EU on trade. Pictured: A pro EU campaigner waves the EU flag outside parliament
Starmer has admitted he is looking at multiple ways to bring the UK closer to the EU on trade, after his deputy PM David Lammy enthused about the benefits of rejoining the customs union.
The Prime Minister accused the Tories of having ‘failed palpably’ to get a good Brexit deal by being ‘rude, aggressive, abusive (and) disrespectful’ in negotiations with Brussels.
He tried to distance himself from talk of rejoining the customs union, saying the 2016 referendum vote had to be respected and ‘we have to live in the world as it is, not as we wish it to be’.
But he went on to tell the Economist’s The Insider podcast: ‘We can look at different ways to get closer in terms of trading.
‘Look at the barriers that are in place and ask ourselves how do we reduce those barriers, particularly in relation to goods.’
It came after David Lammy refused seven times to rule out reversing Brexit, arguing that leaving the EU ‘badly damaged our economy’ and saying Labour should integrate more with Brussels.
In a clear suggestion that ministers could pursue closer ties with the bloc, the Deputy Prime Minister said rejoining the customs union was not ‘currently’ the Government’s policy, but that it was ‘self-evident’ that other countries had ‘seen growth’ after doing so.
He was later slapped down by a No10 spokesman who said that the PM’s ‘red lines’ remain in place, which include not rejoining the customs union.
