The EU has dismissed Sir Keir Starmer’s concerns as Brussels announced it is pressing ahead with its bid for a deal on free movement.
Last month, Starmer said he “will not be considering” a youth mobility scheme, which would allow under-30s to study, work and travel across the European Union for up to two years.
However, official documents show the European Council has tabled a discussion on the issue on Friday in a blow to Starmer’s government.
While the EU has floated the idea informally before, it has never been formally proposed.
It comes as ministers in Westminster and Brussels are under pressure to introduce the scheme, which would mirror existing arrangements the UK has with 13 countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Chair of the pro-EU European Movement Mike Galsworthy told The Independent: “[The PM] cannot keep saying ‘no’ to reality forever.
“It makes it all the more bizarre a position to maintain when the UK public overwhelmingly back the principle and it would clearly do a power of good. Furthermore, the EU has never negotiated such a youth mobility scheme before, so Starmer has carte blanche to approach it in a way that is bespoke for Britain.
“Refusing even to look a gift horse in the mouth at this stage would seem short of acting in good faith.”
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Reeves vows to rip up City red tape as Chancellor sets sights on ‘unlocking’ £80bn from pension megafunds
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to rip up City red tape and “unlock” £80billion from new pension megafunds in a fresh push for economic growth.
Reeves, who delivered her first Mansion House speech last night, claimed altering the UK’s regulatory model would make Britain’s economy more dynamic and more competitive.
“It was right that successive governments made regulatory changes after the Global Financial Crisis to ensure that regulation kept pace with the global economy of the time but it is important that we learn the lessons of the past.
“These changes have resulted in a system which sought to eliminate risk taking. That has gone too far and, in places, it has had unintended consequences that we must now address.”
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Reynolds slammed by furious Question Time audience -‘It’s just not right!’
Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan ReynoldsPA
A woman has slammed Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds who asked whether the planned increase in taxes will harm the economy and how the Government can hope to encourage entrepreneurship with the raid.
Jill Harris said that while the National Insurance change has a limited effect on her business because she only has a small number of employees, she knows others who are impacted.
She said: “I have a friend who is a hairdresser and his costs are going to go up £2,000 a month as a result of the increase in the national minimum wage and also changes to National Insurance.”
Reynolds was also confronted by a second audience member who blasted the Government’s plans as “just not right!”
