Joy. Optimism. Relief. Three things I felt when I heard last week that the European Union was offering the young people of Britain freedom of movement again. But joy turned to anger, optimism to pessimism and relief to frustration as I read the next day that the UK government had rejected the offer on their behalf.
Freedom of movement
Freedom of movement in the European Union means that citizens of EU member states can seek employment in another EU country and work there without a work permit, reside in that country both while they work there and after their employment has ended and have equal access to job opportunities and workers’ rights among other things. The United Kingdom benefited from this up until the 31 January 2020, when the nation formally left the EU.
The European Commission just recently proposed holding talks with the UK government to allow a return to the benefits of free movement to young people in Brittain. Under the proposed agreement, British and EU citizens aged between 18 and 30 years old would be able to stay for up to four years in the country they moved to with a youth mobility scheme visa being introduced in the countries that chose to participate. This visa could potentially be subject to conditions such as proof of sufficient subsistence funds and a requirement for health insurance.
A knife in the back of Britain’s youth
One day after hearing the incredible news, I was seething with anger. Flushed with fury. The UK government, a government with no members in the youth demographic and rejected by Britain’s young people at the last general election, had rejected this offer on their behalf. Was there a consultation? Were the young people of the United Kingdom asked if they wanted to accept the European Commission’s offer? Your guess is as good as mine, but I certainly wasn’t asked, were you?
Freedom of movement provided UK citizens with an abundance of opportunities to work and study in 27 nations outside the United Kingdom as well as foster new cultural ties and forge new friendships with people from across Europe. This in turn would broaden the horizons and expand the options for British young people as they set out in life. The EU’s offer could have seen this return in a limited way, building a bridge for Britain’s future generations after successive Conservative governments sought to burn them to ash.
But the current Conservative government, with no representation in the youth demographic, rejected the offer on behalf of Britain’s young people. A government that only 22% of 18–29-year-olds endorsed in the last general election. A government representative of young people? I don’t think so!
The opposition must do the right thing
Unfortunately, the government’s sentiments were echoed when the Labour Party said it has “no plans for a youth mobility scheme”, should it win the upcoming general election. This would be a grave miscalculation, perhaps not politically but certainly for young people across the UK.
Freedom of movement within European Union countries presents British young people with vast opportunities at a brighter future. There will be those who choose not to take them, of course. But there will be those for whom these opportunities will make a huge difference.
The Labour Party is standing on a platform of getting “Britain’s future back”. But that future relies on Britain’s younger generations and those younger generations will be massively boosted by closer ties to the EU. It may be an elephant in the room, but it is one that needs urgently addressed. I would urge them to do the right thing with this.
Whether any political party wants to admit it during a general election year, Brexit has failed and the UK is paying the price for it. Future generations are growing up with higher prices and less opportunities. A botched Tory Brexit saw to that. Now, politicians must repair the damage, even if it means admitting to and reversing the mistake the country made in 2016. Things like the EU’s Freedom of movement proposal are just the thing we need and they should be embraced by our elected officials, not discarded at the expense of our young people.
