Keir Starmer cannot decide whether he wants a deal with the European Union on visas for young people. The Prime Minister is clearly a pro-European to his fingertips, but for electoral reasons remains terrified of any headlines which suggest even mild alignment with the bloc. Sadiq Khan, however, has no such qualms.
The Mayor of London has called for a youth mobility scheme, to support the capital’s economy. Sectors stretching from hospitality and social care to tech and culture are crying out for more workers, and the UK just so happens to have an entire continent on its doorstep. We ought to make use of it.
In an ideal world, Britain would never have left the EU. Brexit has made the nation poorer, geopolitically isolated and has served as an almighty distraction from our real problems. Rejoining will happen one day. But for now, the more realistic path is to strike deals with Brussels that will be mutually beneficial. Youth mobility is an obvious example of low hanging fruit.
Londoners can happily ignore anyone who suggests this is akin to free movement of people. It is not. Nor would this be unique. The UK has such deals with a wide range of nations, including Australia, Iceland and Japan, providing visas for a fixed period of time. Why France and Germany should be treated any differently is not entirely clear, save for an ideological aversion to the EU.
Moreover, it should not exactly prove controversial that the needs of London might be different to other parts of the country. Our economy represents roughly one-fifth of the UK’s GDP. If other regions do not want EU workers, or do not want to give their own young people the opportunity to live in the EU, that should not prevent the capital from persing the policies that most suit our needs.
The profoundly depressing alternative is to remain cut off from the continent, our economy losing competitiveness, wondering why the Budget is having to raise taxes and cut spending. Labour's election manifesto stated: "We will reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies." This would be a fine place to start.
