By Sir John Redwood on May 16, 2025
The EU has been pressing the UK to accept a Youth Mobility Scheme. They want anyone under the age of 30 in any of the 27 member states to have a right to come to the UK for up to four years to work, study or travel. The UK would automatically grant them a visa for entry.

The UK so far has turned this down, pointing out that is effectively freedom of movement for a large number of people. It is not clear how the UK could force people to leave at the end of the four years. It is suggested they would not be entitled to benefits but they would presumably receive NHS treatment when needed and might need other types of state assistance.

Where the last government said No, the current government is exploring options. They are looking at a lesser time period and at some limitations on what kind of work they could take. It is difficult to see how even a lesser scheme is compatible with the government’s aim of a major reduction in legal migration.

The EU also wants the UK to subsidise the fees charged continental students in UK universities. It would like to revive UK membership of Erasmus. That would mean we had pay for the full fees for continental students to attend UK universities as well as pay for some UK students to study in the EU. When we were in Erasmus there were many more continental students coming to the UK than UK students going to Europe.

The post Brexit UK Turing scheme spends the money all on UK students going abroad. It gives UK students the choice from many Universities all round the world. It would be wrong to cut our support to UK students and to prevent them studying in places. like the US and Australia.