Youth Mobility Scheme (EU Countries)

I beg to move,

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the Secretary of State to enter into negotiations with countries which are members of the European Union for the purpose of extending the Youth Mobility Scheme to applicants from those countries on a reciprocal basis; and for connected purposes.

The immense damage caused by the Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal is clear for all to see. Few thought that young people would be able to go for two years to live and work all the way over in Japan, but not be able to hop across the channel to do the same in France. I am not sure that anyone voted for that kind of increased bureaucracy back in 2016. This Bill gives us the chance to send a different message to a generation of young people who have been denied the opportunities that so many of us in this Chamber took for granted when we were growing up. If we wanted to take a job or to study in an EU country, we could just go and do so. Opportunity and hope for the future have rarely been in such short supply in this country, and this is how we can provide some of both.

What I am proposing is a pragmatic, defined scheme that will once again allow young people across the UK to be able to spend time with our nearest neighbours without having to navigate a tangle of Brexit red tape. It is a youth mobility scheme with the EU that would open up opportunities for British young people to learn new skills, languages and cultures and bring all of that back with them to benefit our economy and our society. This would not be the UK’s only reciprocal youth mobility scheme. We have such arrangements in place already with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada. They are familiar and tried and tested, allowing those aged 18 to 30 to live, work and study in the countries involved for a set period.

The Government have made much of their so-called missions. Mission No. 1, we are told, is economic growth, yet any proposal that might involve our European neighbours and contribute to boosting growth is dismissed. The UK is facing acute labour shortages, particularly in key sectors such as hospitality. These are exactly the kinds of jobs that young people visiting the UK for a few years might take on, whether while studying, immersing themselves in our culture or improving their grasp of our language. The situation suggests that this is a Government who are not serious about making the practical, hard-headed choices that would greatly benefit the UK economy and labour market in the long term, stimulating growth and improving the lives of British people.

The Government also talk up their reset with the EU, which, so far at least, seems to involve little more than warm words and a continuation of the previous Government’s attitude of seeing closer co-operation with the EU as a threat, rather than as a considerable opportunity to make Britain more secure and prosperous. Indeed, the Government have stuck so closely to the Conservative party’s script—or is it Reform UK’s script?—that Ministers have even mischaracterised, repeatedly in fact, a youth mobility scheme with the EU as a return to freedom of movement. That is categorically not what is being proposed here. Any scheme would be time limited and involve a restricted cohort of eligible people. I truly hope that the Government will seriously reconsider their short-sighted and self-defeating position on the issue.

A number of hon. Members from across the House have rightly asked Ministers directly for an explanation of their refusal to explore such a scheme, yet no one has given a response that makes any sense. Meanwhile, the Government have tied themselves up in unnecessary red lines on Europe that do nothing to boost growth or support British businesses and young people. Even that cannot be used as an excuse, as this proposal does not breach any of those red lines.

The situation is having a real impact on young people growing up in this country today. Let me share Alex’s story. A bright and ambitious 25-year-old from Taunton, Alex left university last year with the aim of working in a German fintech start-up. He had planned to move to Germany for a few years, then return home with a better understanding of the German language, and with the knowledge and skills to launch his own start-up here in the UK, but the hurdles proved insurmountable. He told me:

“I didn’t want to move there forever, I just wanted a year, maybe two, to earn invaluable experience, polish my language skills and get to know German culture.”

With no simple mobility arrangement in place between the UK and the EU, Alex ended up shelving his plans.

Not only did Alex lose out, our economy lost out too. The Government’s failure to act risks closing the world to a whole generation of Alexes across the UK. It is also holding back British growth and prosperity. Let us take the UK’s £82.5 billion tourism sector as an example. It has been grappling with the impact of the last Government’s failure to address youth mobility with the EU. ABTA, a trade body representing the sector, reported a 69% drop in UK nationals working in European tourism roles in the five years after the EU referendum. Businesses that once offered transformative opportunities to young Britons now face rising costs and critical staffing shortages.

I have heard from one UK-based tourism company that once employed more than 400 young Britons a year. Mobility restrictions have forced it to drastically scale back its operations, undermining years of competitive advantage, and slashing training and employment opportunities for young UK workers. European Pubs, which runs bars and restaurants in France, previously relied on UK staff for most seasonal roles. Today, only 50% of its workforce is British. A youth mobility scheme, which recent polling shows is backed by a clear majority of British voters, could ease labour shortages, provide essential career pathways and help to safeguard our tourism sector’s future vitality.

Meanwhile, our small and medium-sized businesses are really struggling, especially in sectors where staff shortages have become acute. Sectors from hospitality to the arts, entertainment and retail are desperately short of staff. With the UK’s ageing population, that is unlikely to improve in the future. A youth mobility scheme would offer British businesses an excellent opportunity to address staffing shortages by welcoming young people from EU countries for a limited period, bringing fresh talent and energy to our workforce. With the threat of tariffs from the incoming President of the United States, it has never been more important for our Government to break down barriers to opportunity elsewhere.

When speaking with counterparts in Brussels in my capacity as the Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson, I have been struck by a clear message. After years of attempts to cherry-pick, the UK now needs to show that it is once again a trusted and reliable partner. By taking the lead on a youth mobility scheme, we have an opportunity to build that trust with our European allies that would allow us to explore our other priorities. Britain’s ability to strike new deals on defence, agriculture and trade would falter if we sent the signal that we are unwilling to move on a pragmatic, mutually beneficial scheme like this one. A carefully designed youth mobility scheme would give the British people control. It would ensure that participants could come here only under a clearly defined category and a tightly controlled time limit, while also signalling that we value cultural exchange, business growth and an ongoing partnership with our nearest neighbours.

Let us be honest: we cannot afford to keep letting down young people like Alex, nor can we keep small businesses in limbo, forcing them to cope with staff shortages, when a scheme like this could do so much to help. Young people in this country already face unprecedented challenges: a housing crisis, low salary growth, a rising cost of living and high taxes on income. The very least the Government could do is to remove barriers preventing young people in the UK from living and working in the rest of Europe. It saddens me that the Government have so far ruled out such a scheme. I call on the Government to give the young people of this country a proper explanation. Many of them have put their faith in the Labour party to reverse the damage done by the previous Government but remain disappointed and frustrated.

The Bill calls for a solution that would restore vital opportunities for our young people who have been left high and dry by the Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal. By embracing a well structured and controlled youth mobility scheme, we would send the powerful message that this country is serious about supporting our young people and backing British business with the labour force it needs to grow. This is a moment to bring opportunity and renewed good will back into the heart of UK-EU relations—a real reset. The issue will not go away and, as a Liberal Democrat, I am proud to have sponsors from the Green party, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Alliance party of Northern Ireland. Many on the Labour and Conservative Benches know that a youth mobility scheme with the EU is the right thing to do. It is time to rebuild our relationship with Europe and set our young people free. I commend this Bill to the House.

Ordered,

That James MacCleary, Tom Gordon, Siân Berry, Caroline Voaden, Stephen Gethins, Sorcha Eastwood, Sarah Olney, Liz Saville Roberts, Mr Joshua Reynolds, Richard Foord, Helen Maguire and Liz Jarvis present the Bill.

James MacCleary accordingly presented the Bill.