The EU has partially given into a demand from Sir Keir Starmer by offering an “emergency brake” on a new youth mobility scheme with the UK. Brussels has been resisting the prime minister’s calls for an outright cap on the number of people arriving in the UK under the scheme.
The programme, which will allow young Europeans to live, work and study in the UK, is part of Sir Keir’s “Brexit reset” with the bloc. Specifics of the scheme are still being worked out amid what has been described as significant differences between the UK and EU in striking a deal. Reports suggest in a bid to break the deadlock, the EU has proposed the so-called emergency brake if the numbers coming to the UK became too high.
An EU official told The Telegraph there could be “a monitoring system to ensure both sides are equally satisfied with the way the scheme is operating”.
“It’s about the management of flows rather than an upfront number,” they added.
Reports suggest the Home Office and Foreign Office are insisting the scheme must include a firm cap on numbers.
The UK wants to secure the youth mobility scheme by the end of this year, according to The Guardian.
Under the plans, tens of thousands of young British and European citizens would be given the right to live and work in each other’s countries.
There are also said to be differences between the UK and EU in regards to university tuition fees under the scheme.
EU officials are pushing for students from the continent to pay the same rate as their British counterparts, rather than the higher fees charged to international students, according to The Telegraph.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Any final scheme must be time-limited, capped and will be based on our existing youth mobility schemes, which do not include access to home tuition fee status.”