Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to unveil plans for a youth mobility deal with the EU as part of his Brexit reset deal. The agreement, which has been slammed as a “backdoor for free movement” by Reform UK, will be announced next week, just days after Labour’s plan to overhaul the migration system. On Monday, the government published a White Paper on immigration to “take back control” of our borders, with the aim of decreasing net migration figures.
Despite Sir Keir claiming his youth mobility scheme would not herald a return to free movement, critics claim it could lead to an “uncapped migration scheme”, counteracting the announcement on May 12. The EU has previously emphasised the importance of the youth mobility scheme for striking a deal with the UK, which would mean freedom of movement for young adults.
This would be modelled on Britain’s current arrangement with Canada, where 18-35 year-olds can apply for a three-year visa for the UK, allowing them to live and work in Britain.
However, this has been criticised by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice, who said a youth mobility scheme would be a “backdoor to free movement of people from the EU”.
“This is not a government that can be trusted on Brexit. We cannot forget that this cabinet actively opposed Brexit and, in the case of Keir Starmer, actively campaigned to overturn the democratic decision of more than 17 million people,” he said.
The prime minister and European leaders will strike a new deal on Monday 19 May, which includes a new defence and security pact, energy and a youth mobility scheme.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also criticised the youth programme for potentially leading to an “uncapped migration scheme”.
The prime minister has since rejected these claims, saying that that freedom of movement was a “red line”. He told The Times: “If we get this stronger trading relationship with the EU then hopefully that will be measured in the pockets of working people. People will be better off.”
Sir Keir’s Brexit reset comes the week following his Immigration White Paper publication. During a press conference, he said “living in this country is a privilege that must be earned”.
“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened,” he said.
Over the past two years, net migration hit record figures, standing at 906,000 in 2023. This dropped by just under 20% to 728,000 in June 2023.
There were also 162,000 grants of settlement in 2024, when Labour came to power, up 35% from 2023. In addition, there were 270,000 grants of citizenship in 2024, up nearly a third on the previous year.
