Last Friday, the prime minister rejected the post-Brexit youth mobility deal, which would have allowed Britons aged between 18 and 30 to live, study or work in the EU for up to four years, after Labour declined the offer the previous day.
"This scheme seems like a no-brainer - I cannot think why anyone would disagree with it," said Elena, who works in the healthcare sector in north-east England. She dismissed concerns that people could end up trying to overstay and settle in the UK permanently.
"I have friends who have taken advantage of such schemes with Canada, Australia and New Zealand and none of them ended up moving permanently to those countries.
I suspect the resistance from the Tories and Labour is based on a belief that a sizeable chunk of the British public would balk at the idea of eastern Europeans freely crossing our borders again.
This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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