Harrogate and Knaresborough MP joins row over EU bid to relax travel restrictions on young people in Europe
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Tom Gordon argues that a similar scheme is already in place with other countries, such as Japan and Australia.
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Hide AdThe Lib Dem MP said: “This is a clear, easy win. It’s disappointing that this Labour government doesn’t seem to want to deliver the change that millions of people went out and voted for only a month or so ago.
"Young people would get the chance to travel and gain experiences of the world beyond our country, without it costing us a penny, particularly when we already have schemes like this with other countries.”
The EU originally offered the scheme to the UK towards the end of the last Parliament but the then Tory government refused to engage with the idea.
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Hide AdThe proposals would allow EU citizens under 30 to work and study for a fixed period in the UK and vice-versa – in line with similar deals Britain has with countries such as Australia.
But recent reports in The Times say that Labour ministers are worried they may have to “give ground” over parts of a proposed mutual youth mobility system if they were to get agreement in other areas, including the sensitive issue of reducing checks on UK food entering the EU.
Asides from political considerations, another potential obstacle may lie in the fact that the EU plan would also allow UK and EU students to have home-fee status again at each others’ universities for four years.
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Hide AdThis would mean EU students at UK universities paying notably lower fees which could undermine the financial viability of some UK universities which increasingly rely on income from overseas students.
But Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon said the Lib Dems were the only party with a clear plan to rebuild relationships with the European Union, our closest neighbour and largest trading partner.
Mr Gordon also hailed his recent ‘Summer Tour’ of pop-up events across the constituency as a “fantastic success”.
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