Latest news with #YouthMobilityScheme
ITV News
19-05-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Government says EU reset is a 'huge boost for growth' - does the claim stack up?
A closer trading relationship with the European Union carries economic benefits and political risk. The government describes the reset it has negotiated as a 'huge boost for growth'. It's definitely a boost. Many of the border checks and inspections, and much of the paperwork that Brexit created for trade in food, plants, and animals will go, reducing costs, hassle, and queues at the border. The agreement on the trading of carbon emissions will mean British steel, aluminium, and energy companies avoid penalties on their exports to the EU from next year. The government has run the numbers and says these things will add £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040. UK and EU strike post-Brexit deal on food, fishing, defence and passports What has Starmer agreed to in 'win-win' deal with EU? Put another way: economic growth in 15 years will be 0.3% higher than it would be without the EU reset. But that offsets only a little of the losses Brexit has caused. The government's own forecaster, The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), assumes that leaving the European Union on the terms Boris Johnson's government agreed will leave the UK economy 4% smaller in the long run than it would otherwise have been. The government says the trade deal could also lower food prices and increase choice in the supermarket. The question is: will it do either of these things in a way that will leave the average person feeling better off? John Springford, Associate Fellow at the Centre for European Reform, is doubtful. 'I think the price of goods will come down a bit, certainly in the food that we import from the EU and we might get a bit of a better range, but I don't think it's really going to make a really noticeable difference to people's shopping bills,' he told ITV News. The government hasn't explained clearly how its £9 billion figure has been arrived at. Springford thinks the boost to GDP is slightly smaller. 'Around 0.1% over the next decade or so,' he estimates. The economic benefits of this deal are more modest than perhaps some in government suggest, but tonight the chancellor is indicating this is just the beginning. The relationship will be finessed further in the years to come. Rachel Reeves insists the UK will not be rejoining the single market, the customs union, and there won't be a return to freedom of movement for EU citizens. The chancellor does want an agreement that will make it easier for British artists to tour the EU. Sir Elton John has previously complained that all musicians face huge extra costs as a result of Brexit. At some point, the government will agree to a Youth Mobility Scheme, allowing more young Europeans to come to live and work in the UK for a limited period. How many? How long? Will they pay 'home' fees to attend UK universities? How is such a scheme compatible with the pledge to cut net migration? The government won't say. The answer to these hugely sensitive political questions has been kicked down the road.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Starmer branded 'the closet Remainer who never got over losing referendum' as Tories claim EU deal will unleash 'free movement by the back door'
Sir Keir Starmer was accused of being a 'closet Remainer' who failed to 'get over' the result of the 2016 EU referendum today as he revealed his new post-Brexit deal with Brussels. Writing for MailOnline Andrew Griffith, the shadow business and trade secretary accused him of moving towards 'freedom of movement by the back door' with plans for a youth mobility scheme. The Prime Minister has agreed to a 'youth experience' scheme with the EU that could allow thousands of 18 to 35-year-olds to come to Britain to live and work each year. Officials have not put a figure on how many people would be admitted, with details yet to be hammered out. But Sir Keir insisted that the number covered would be capped. Such a scheme will allow young people from the EU to come to Britain - and UK nationals to head to the bloc - to work, study or simply travel for a 'limited period'. The document also stated the 'dedicated visa path' would ensure 'the overall number of participants is acceptable to both sides'. However Mr Griffith argued it would lead to 'low-wage, low skill migrants undercutting British workers, knocking young people down the housing ladder and driving salaries down.' He added: 'Unlimited migration is the last thing we need. But the Youth Mobility Scheme Starmer is moving towards is free movement by the back door.' Downing Street said the EU scheme would mirror the UK's existing youth mobility schemes with countries such as Australia and New Zealand. This allows 18 to 35-year-olds from Down Under to apply for a youth mobility visa to live and work in the UK for up to two years, with the possibility for a one-year extension. For this year, the number of youth visas is capped at 42,000 for Australians and 9,500 for those from New Zealand. It has previously been reported the Government wants an annual cap of 70,000 visas for EU nationals under the proposed youth mobility scheme with Brussels. A dispute over an annual cap - as well as EU nationals having to pay the NHS surcharge - were said to be major sticking points in agreeing the final terms of the scheme prior to Monday's summit. Kemi Badenoch signalled she supported the principle of youth mobility schemes with EU countries, but stressed the Government's deal would not be beneficial to the UK. 'They are good ideas. We support them. What we do not support is non-capped, non-time limited migration,' the Conservative leader said when asked about the principle of such deals. At a central London press conference, she added: 'There is a big difference between an 18-year-old from France who's coming for a gap year and a 30-year-old with several children who's coming from a much poorer EU country like Bulgaria, Romania. 'What we wanted to do was have youth mobility schemes with specific countries. That is not what we will get with what this Government is negotiating.' We should have known this was coming. Starmer is the closet Remainer who never quite got over his side losing, writes Andrew Griffith And there we have it – Keir Starmer's capitulation to the EU laid bare. As his Ministers say, it is the first step. And they are right, it is the first step in a walk of shame back to the continent. It is a surrender summit. A Brexit betrayal. The cop-out conference that sells our hard-fought freedoms down the river. We should have known this was coming. Starmer is the closet Remainer who never quite got over his side losing almost 10 years ago. He energetically campaigned for a second referendum with free movement of people, and it looks like he will finally get his way. Unlimited migration is the last thing we need. But the Youth Mobility Scheme Starmer is moving towards is free movement by the back door. Sixty million people as far away as Bucharest would be covered by this scheme. That's uncontrollable levels of low-wage, low skill migrants undercutting British workers, knocking young people down the housing ladder and driving salaries down. As if our troubles with low-wage migration were not bad enough, just as Starmer has begun to talk tough, he is EU-turning on commitments he made just last week. The PM is drowning out the sound of his old promises with Ode to Joy whilst he cheerfully hands over Britain's sovereignty. Labour has already made the UK a hostile environment for businesses. Their jobs tax, hiked business rates and employment rights bill are the triple whammy, mercilessly knocking out businesses of all sizes across Britain. This deal gives them no respite. And taxpayers will have to pay for the privilege of being regulated by the EU. The much-vaunted e-gates deal Starmer has been crowing about, and sacrificed so much for, is smoke and mirrors. We're right where we were before, as member states still need to agree to the measure first. The Government has also done a victory lap about adding 0.03 per cent onto our GDP by 2040. That pales in comparison to the costs they are burdening our businesses with, for example the EU's carbon pricing scheme – making Net Zero even more expensive. Tying entire swathes of the economy to rules made in Brussels, may put a big grin on Ursula von der Leyen's face, but it will only hold us further back. Keir Starmer is kicking businesses whilst they are down. Clearly, he still doesn't understand that only businesses create jobs – and any price is worth paying to rejoin his favourite club of out-of-touch liberal elites. One Brexit dividends Britain has particularly benefitted from is our ability to sign trade deals. For example, the Trans Pacific Partnership Kemi Badenoch secured when she was Trade Secretary – which gives us access to a trading bloc larger than the EU with the fastest growing economies in the world. Taking us back to the EU curtails that ability, and locks us out of countless opportunities. With Surrender Starmer, the world's worst negotiator in charge, that may not seem like many opportunities missed, but it will be hugely damaging for our long-term prospects. Leaders the world over are now seeing the UK as a soft touch. Starmer is like the nervous schoolboy who hands over his lunch money without even being asked — so it's no wonder the world's playground bullies are queuing up. Far from being an island of strangers, Labour are fast making Britain an island of losers. We had a vision for Britain where we could make our own laws, forge game-changing trade deals and be rule makers – not rule takers. The only vision our mediocre, middle manager-in-chief has in mind is one of a managed decline as a colony of the EU. Today, Starmer has condemned Brexit to a death by a thousand bureaucratic cuts and people should not forgive, nor should they forget.
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer: EU reset is good for our borders
Sir Keir Starmer has promised that his plan to reset relations with the European Union will be 'good for our borders' despite warnings that tens of thousands of migrants will flood into the country. The Government is locked in negotiations to determine how long young Europeans will be able to live and work in the UK as part of a deal to be announced on Monday. The Telegraph understands that the EU is pushing for a Youth Mobility Scheme to allow migrants aged between 18 and 30 to stay in the UK for as long as three years. Labour's minister for EU relations said that the reset would see Britain 'standing side by side with the EU'. However, MPs from Labour's Red Wall have warned that the deal amounts to a reversal of Brexit and will alienate voters. The party is battling to fend off the threat from Reform UK, which has vowed to reverse any deal. Speaking ahead of the final day of negotiations, Sir Keir insisted that his deal 'will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders'. He said: 'That's what the British people voted for last year, and it's what my Government will deliver.' 'Disingenuous charlatan' However, the Conservatives challenged Labour's claims, with Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, saying: 'This scheme could open the floodgates to tens of thousands or more flooding into the country including people who recently entered Europe illegally and then got citizenship, which in some countries can happen in just three years. 'Last week, Starmer said he wanted to clamp down on immigration but he's now on the verge of throwing open the doors. He is a disingenuous charlatan when it comes to our border security.' British officials negotiating the terms of the Youth Mobility Scheme are pushing for a hard numerical cap amid government concerns of an 'imbalance' between Europeans arriving and Britons leaving for the Continent. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, said that the plan would lead to EU migrants filling vacancies in the health and social care sector despite the Government announcing a crackdown on foreigners taking such jobs last week. He told BBC Newsnight that the agreement would 'put rocket boosters up businesses in London where we have critical gaps in hospitality, in creative industries, in health and social care, in other sectors'. But critics warned that the agreement would undermine Sir Keir's crackdown on mass immigration, which he unveiled last week in a speech warning that the UK was becoming an 'island of strangers'. Negotiators are attempting to model the scheme on an existing arrangement the UK has with Australia, which is capped at 42,000 people a year. That scheme was originally limited to two years' stay in Britain but was extended to three. A Whitehall source close to the negotiations told The Telegraph: 'Obviously we're a country of 60 million people and they're a bloc of 450 million, so there are fears in government of an imbalance in numbers, and in terms of who is benefitting on each side.' Discussions are expected to continue until the early hours of Monday morning as officials hash out further details on food and fishing. Britain is set to concede to the EU on food standards, aligning with Brussels' rules on plant and animal health. Such a deal – an agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards – would reduce trade barriers on food but mean that the UK would be obliged to follow European Court of Justice decisions in the case of disputes. EU representatives are pushing for a time-limited agreement on food standards. Officials are also wrangling over arrangements to allow European fishing boats access to British waters. Brussels' negotiators are pushing for four years of access, while the British side is understood to be holding firm on one year. Separately, a defence and security pact with the bloc is understood to have been agreed, paving the way for British access to a fund of rearmament loans worth €150 billion. Writing in The Telegraph below, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the EU relations minister, said that 'in an uncertain world' Britain was now 'standing side by side with the EU'. He added: 'We aren't interested in rehashing old ideologies or fights. The world has moved on.' Sir Keir will claim that the deal marks the third in a hat-trick of diplomatic successes, following trade agreements with India and the USA, when he unveils the agreement in principle on Monday at Lancaster House in London. However, MPs within his own party – as well as the Conservatives and Reform, who seized hundreds of council seats from Labour at this month's local elections – have warned that the 'reset' will undermine Brexit promises. Graham Stringer, the veteran Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South in Manchester who supported Leave, told The Telegraph that the deal would amount to 'opening borders at a time when Starmer appears to want to take back control. It's giving up control.' Another Labour MP in the Red Wall said: 'Anything that remotely resembles freedom of movement needs to be treated with utmost caution. The politics is very delicate on youth mobility'. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, told The Telegraph this week that he would scrap Sir Keir's Brexit deal if he was elected prime minister. 'The PM thinks he will get away with this surrender deal, but he underestimates how strong Brexit feeling still is in the Red Wall,' he said. 'The whole reset is an abject surrender from Starmer and politically something he will come to regret.' Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, echoed his language, saying the deal would mean 'getting free movement by the back door. This isn't a reset, it's a surrender.' This is about getting the best for Britain By Nick Thomas-Symonds Our trade agreements with India and the US boosted business, unlocked investment and saved British jobs. They show that – through these tough times – the decisions this Government has taken has made the UK a country people want to do business with. A third agreement in as many weeks is within our grasp on Monday. Why do we need this? Put simply, our post-Brexit Tory trade deal with the EU isn't working. Labour is determined to deliver. For British families, who face not only higher energy bills but longer queues on holiday, and whose safety is compromised by a lack of cooperation with neighbouring countries. For supermarkets, whose lorries are left waiting up to 16 hours for lengthy inspections, while the food inside them goes off. For the farmers, who face endless red tape just to export to our nearest and biggest trading partner. Businesses that drive the economy often find themselves paralysed by the current rules. On Friday, business leaders called for practical steps forward as the current agreement is 'not fit for purpose'. If our big retailers are feeling the pinch, then many of our smaller businesses have been delivered a knockout punch. It is our right as an independent, sovereign nation to chase down the benefits of free trade. It is our duty to working people to make sure that it delivers for them. But trade is not the only thing on the table at the UK-EU Summit. We will fill the gaps left by the Tory deal, which had nothing in it to tackle illegal migration and weakened our ability to tackle organised crime. It's right we control our borders with measures to make our streets safer, cut migration and tackle international gangs. And instead of being at the mercy of Vladimir Putin, more control and stability within our energy supplies could secure lower bills into the future. We'll cover the absence of security and defence cooperation, something the Tories failed to take seriously and refused to negotiate. We aren't interested in rehashing old ideologies or fights. The world has moved on. When I'm walking down Blaenavon High Street – the town where I grew up – in the shadow of its historic industrial might, I know the people around me are interested in what this Labour Government delivers for them on Monday. How do we ease their cost of living, how do we make their streets safer? That is who I've had in mind when working towards this agreement. That's why we've negotiated hard to get a package that is in their interest, and in the national interest. Under Keir Starmer's leadership, we have been guided by cool heads and pragmatism – this Government prefers striking agreements over striking poses. Driven by the ambition to get nothing less than the best for the UK – and willing to step away if anything failed to meet our red lines. The interests of British people have been our priority throughout these negotiations, but in an uncertain world standing side by side with the EU on solid foundations to tackle the challenges we face will benefit us all. So on Monday, we have the chance to agree a strategic partnership with the EU that strengthens our borders, cuts our bills and boosts our jobs. Britain back on the world stage – and back in the service of working people.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why youth mobility and fishing are key issues ahead of UK/EU summit
The right of young people to move freely between the UK and EU has emerged as a key negotiating point - along with fishing rights - ahead of a summit in London which the prime minister hopes will "reset" relations between the two sides. Before Brexit, people were allowed to come and go under "freedom of movement" rules. The EU would like a new "youth mobility scheme" but there are concerns about what impact this might have on UK immigration numbers. Fishing rights are another potential sticking point with the EU calling for an extension of the current post-Brexit deal, but UK fishing groups calling for changes to it. BBC Verify has been examining both issues and why they are important. Since Brexit, UK and EU citizens no longer have an automatic right to live, work, or study in each other's countries. To come to the UK for an extended period, EU nationals usually need specific visas - many of which require a sponsor. Following these new rules, there has been a significant drop in the number of EU students coming to the UK. The UK does have an existing Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) which allows young adults to live, work and study in the UK for up to two years. People from specific countries can apply but not from EU ones. They have to pay an application fee, the health surcharge, and have at least £2,530 in savings. Unlike most other visa schemes, the YMS does not require sponsorship. Last year, just over 24,000 YMS visas were issued - Australians were the largest single group, followed by New Zealanders and Canadians. Just over a year ago, the EU proposed a "youth mobility scheme" for EU and UK citizens (aged 18 to 30), allowing stays of up to four years. The idea was rejected by the-then Conservative government. It it is politically sensitive, given Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to "significantly" reduce immigration levels in the coming years. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against "backsliding on freedom of movement". Documents circulated between EU states suggested any deal could be rebranded as a "youth experience" scheme, in an apparent bid to downplay any link to migration. Madeleine Sumption from Oxford University's Migration Observatory told BBC Verify that a UK/EU youth mobility scheme would likely increase net migration in the short term, as new participants arrive. However, she adds that if everyone left the UK when their visa expired, the long-term impact on migration levels would be minimal. "If the UK is worried about the impact, it could phase in the scheme, where it gradually increases the quota. So as people leave, the quota could be raised rather than a big bang, all come at once," she said. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly arguing for visas to be limited to one year so that EU citizens taking part do not show up in official immigration figures, with applications also subject to an overall cap. Another consideration, Ms Sumption points out, is how many people would go home when their temporary visa comes to an end. "Even on temporary visas, people do stay. They get a job offer and end up getting a skilled visa through their employer", she says. The Oxford Migration Observatory says about 10% of people who arrived on temporary worker visas in 2014 from Australia, Canada and New Zealand remained in the UK at the end of 2023. Fishing is another sensitive subject. The post-Brexit deal on fishing rights - who gets to fish where - expires at the end of June 2026. Several EU countries, including France, are asking the UK for concessions, in return for the things the UK wants from the summit. They are pushing for a long-term extension of the current arrangements, agreed in 2020. Fishing only accounts for an estimated 0.4% of UK GDP but it was a big issue in the Brexit campaign and promises were made that the UK would become an "independent coastal state". Under the Brexit deal in 2020 however, EU boats were given continued access to UK waters. In 2023, UK vessels landed 719,000 tonnes of fish - an increase of 14% compared to 2019. However, this growth has been driven by Scottish catches, while English fishing boats have seen a fall in their landings. This is linked to the way in which fish quotas were divided up after Brexit, benefitting some areas. At the same time, it has become harder for the UK to export fish to the EU due to post-Brexit paperwork and checks. In 2023, the UK exported 235,606 tonnes of fish to the EU. That's down 29% compared to the 2019 figure of 333,403 tonnes. Chris Ranford, Chief Executive of the Cornish Fish Producers' Organisation (CFPO), represents 175 member vessels and says nothing much has changed, since BBC Verify last spoke to him in 2022. He says French vessels are still fishing off the Cornish coast: "Very modern, very high-powered French fishing vessels that have much greater catching capacity than the UK or Cornish boats come up to the six-mile line. We don't have space to fish." For him, the number one priority for any future fishing deal is to stop EU vessels entering the stretch of coastal water that lies between six and 12 nautical miles offshore. France has reportedly called for continued access to UK waters for its fishing boats, in exchange for a defence deal the UK is pushing for. We asked the Maritime Fisheries Committee for Northern France for comment. Another area of improvement Mr Ranford is calling for is easier access to EU markets. "Our small to medium-sized businesses can't afford to do the extra paperwork to get the fish to the EU market," he said. Elspeth Macdonald, who represents 450 fishing boats as Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, says: "The market access to the EU has become more bureaucratic." She says she is disappointed with the five-year fishing deal the UK signed up to. "Our position approaching the EU reset… is that the access to each other's waters would be on the basis of annual discussions". "By having that lever around access, the UK could secure a much fairer share of the resources in our own waters." There are strong opinions on both sides on fishing and youth mobility. If the UK is to get what it wants from the summit, including easing the trade in agricultural goods between the UK and the EU, there will have to be some give and take in the coming days. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Keir Starmer repeatedly refuses to reveal if plan to let thousands of Europeans into UK will be capped
SIR Keir Starmer has refused to say his plan to invite tens of thousands of Europeans back to the UK will be capped. Despite talking tough on reducing legal migration, the PM is negotiating a visa programme to allow EU citizens under 35 to work or study in the UK. 2 2 Quizzed by the Sun about his negotiations with Brussels over a so-called Youth Mobility Scheme, Sir Keir declined to say there would be a quota on new entry tickets. Similar schemes with other countries last up to four years meaning someone who applied at 35 could live and work in the UK until they were 39. Ahead of a summit with the EU in London on Monday to hammer out a Brussels 'reset' the PM insisted his deal would be "good for our economy" despite record levels of net migration already. And he left the door open to Britain becoming a 'rule taker' by mirroring EU regulations on goods in order to reduce checks on food entering the bloc. The PM refused to rule out 'Dynamic Alignment' on rules which would see the UK mirror Brussels laws without any input to set them. The PM told the Sun he would not give a running commentary on talks but insisted he would not break his manifesto commitment to bring back Free Movement entirely. Yet he repeatedly refused to say whether accepting Brussels demands for a mobility scheme would have an upper limit on numbers despite pressure from the Home Office to set a cap. He later said: 'We have to respect the outcome of the referendum and that's the framework in which we have been negotiating.' Separately last night Government insiders insisted French trawlers will not be allowed to catch 'a single fish more' in British waters than its current quota under Sir Keir Starmer's latest offer to the EU. As talks with Brussels go down to the wire ahead Monday's summit, government sources told The Sun the deal on the table will not dilute UK fishermen's stocks. But they warn it will not be better than the post-Brexit deal struck by Boris Johnson - likely to spark anger from fishermen already angry with European nets off our shores. Under the 2020 deal, EU vessels would reduce their catch gradually by 25 per cent until 2026 when the agreement is up for review. A Government insider said: 'The French especially are making fresh demands on our fish but so far we're not budging. It won't be better than the deal we've currently got, but we're trying our damndest to make sure they don't have a single fish more.' Last night the PM told reporters: 'When we started this process the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and I agreed we wouldn't do megaphone diplomacy. 'We wouldn't go running to the nearest microphone to make our respective arguments and criticisms. Because of that we've made good progress and I'm confident we will make really good progress into Monday.'
