Sir Keir Starmer is open to increasing the number of EU citizens admitted to the UK under the youth mobility scheme the government hopes to secure as part of his Brexit reset, despite promises of a hard cap on numbers.
The Times understands that British negotiators will propose a “balancing mechanism” in talks over the scheme, which would give young people from the UK and EU the right to live and work in each other’s countries for a limited period.
This would allow the scheme to be expanded with the consent of both sides depending on demand and the number of young people willing to take part.
The proposal is designed to break a deadlock in the talks between European negotiators, who are demanding an uncapped scheme, and the government, which has insisted that it should be limited in scope.
Government sources said a compromise would be to agree to periodic reviews of any cap on numbers, which would give both sides the ability to expand or, if necessary, limit the flow of young people across the Channel.
It comes as the prime minister, speaking on his visit to China, argued that Britain should “go further” in aligning with the EU single market but once again ruled out rejoining the customs union.
Brussels has been clear that it is opposed to any hard cap on the number of Europeans admitted to Britain under the new visa regime. Speaking to reporters in China, however, the prime minister emphasised that a numerical limit remained a red line for the government.
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“We are negotiating a scheme and I’m pleased about that because we want young people to have the opportunity to travel, to work and be in EU countries if they are British citizens and the other way round,” Starmer said.
“The principles are that there has got to be a cap and there has got to be a duration agreed. It will be a visa-led scheme. All of our schemes are similar to that. We are negotiating.”
The UK has youth mobility schemes with about a dozen countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. All have an annual cap on numbers but the European Commission is concerned that it is likely to short-change its 27 member states.
While still emphatic that they will not countenance an uncapped scheme, British negotiators are nonetheless optimistic that an inbuilt review mechanism — similar to that agreed as part of the deal under which UK universities rejoined the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme last month — could break the impasse.
That agreement saw ministers secure a 10-month break clause which would allow Britain and the EU to assess whether its £570 million contribution to Erasmus+ – a 30 per cent discount – was a fair price for participation, amid concerns in government that take up would be greater among European students.
A similar model will be proposed in talks over the youth mobility scheme, allowing both sides to make the case for a higher or lower cap on the grounds of proportionality.
British officials have always pointed out that European demand will be much higher than that from other nations with youth mobility agreements, such as Australia, whose cap is set at 40,000 visas per year.
There are also disagreements within government and with Brussels over the proposed length of visas granted, with ministers advocating a two-year time limit and EU negotiators hopeful for up to four years. The Home Office is also pushing for the UK to be granted access to policing and security databases as part of any agreement.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the cabinet minister leading talks, has put the scheme at the heart of negotiations. He has previously said: “On youth mobility, we believe that giving the opportunity for young people to learn and get experience is vital, giving young people across the UK and EU a chance to study, work, live abroad – build friendships, understanding and creating opportunities.”