Youth Mobility Scheme: EU
Debate between Sarah Olney and Alison Bennett(5 days, 6 hours ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Sarah Olney
I am glad to hear these words about the Labour Government’s commitment to improving our relationships with the European Union, but what the Liberal Democrats would like to see is some action. We think introducing a youth mobility scheme is a valuable and necessary first step and there is no reason why we cannot crack on and do that now.
The Government have made it clear that their No. 1 priority is economic growth—if anyone was in any doubt about that, the Chancellor has been making a speech on it this very morning—but any proposal that might involve our European neighbours in contributing to boosting growth is dismissed. A youth mobility scheme is a pragmatic and mutually beneficial proposal that would benefit the UK economy and labour market in the long term.
Alison Bennett (Mid Sussex) (LD)
In 2016, the Home Office said that youth mobility visa holders contributed an average of £7,600 to the Exchequer’s coffers every year; that amounts to more than £10,000 today. There is economic benefit from a youth mobility scheme, and I find it hard to look my children in the eye and tell them that they will not have the freedoms that I and my parents were able to enjoy. Given all that, does my hon. Friend agree with me that it is absolutely right and urgent that a youth mobility scheme should be brought forward?
Sarah Olney
My hon. Friend is absolutely right— I wish that the Chancellor, who I gather is somewhere in Oxfordshire, had been here to hear her intervention. She is so right to say that a youth mobility scheme of this kind would make a real, substantial impact on growth in the UK; more than—dare I say it?—the expansion of Heathrow would. Such a scheme would play a vital role in stimulating the growth that this country so clearly needs and that we very much support the Chancellor in her call for.
Rebuilding our relationship with Europe is a fundamental part of making Britain more secure and more prosperous. With the threat of tariffs from the new Trump Administration, it has never been more important for our Government to break down the barriers to trade erected under the previous Conservative Government. By repairing those ties with the EU, we will be able to deal with this unreliable and unpredictable actor in the White House from a position of strength. Introducing a youth mobility scheme between the EU and the UK would send a clear message that this country is serious about supporting our young people and backing British business with the labour force that it needs to grow.
The EU has been very clear that it would welcome a youth mobility scheme and has now signalled that agreeing to such a scheme will in fact be a necessary step before broader partnerships, including on defence, are established. I urge the Government to embark on negotiations to expand opportunities for young people across the country and to acknowledge the broader benefits that a youth mobility scheme could provide.