EU youth mobility scheme is essential for a post-Brexit reset
An EU youth mobility scheme is a needed concession to repair the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the bloc, writes James Reed in today’s Notebook
The UK must make concessions post-Brexit
Since Brexit, the profile of immigration into the UK has changed dramatically. The younger Europeans who used to work in sectors such as hospitality, retail, healthcare and construction are no longer able to come here using the right to free movement across the EU (sadly, this has meant our young people also losing the right to work wherever they like on the continent).
Instead, there has been a surge in non-EU immigration, driven by work, family and student visas. Net migration reached a record high in the year ending June 2024, at 728,000, propelled by this increase in non-EU citizens coming to the UK.
I’m absolutely sure this is not what many Brexit voters thought they were voting for, or what anyone else wanted to see, so I’m glad to see the government exploring the issue – even if very tentatively. With Trump’s tariffs causing global disruption, we need to examine the state of our trading relationship with the EU, which remains, whether anyone likes it or not, our closest economic partner.
The youth mobility scheme of the sort being championed by the Treasury, though apparently resisted by the Home Office, surely makes sense. EU neighbours must find it very hard to understand that young people from the rest of the world are currently more welcome in the UK than theirs are.
There’s a big difference between allowing a young person to come here on a two-year work visa than allowing people in from other parts of the world with any number of dependents indefinitely.
If at the end of their visa, young Europeans are paying tax and contributing to our society, why not let them extend their stay?
It’s clear a concession of this kind is a prerequisite for our European partners to agree to a meaningful reset of the relationship, which is badly needed. Small businesses that have given up trading with Europe, artists who can no longer travel to perform and young people trying to sell their services into the EU without charges and trade barriers deserve that.
Ultimately, I’d like the government to go further. Turkey isn’t in the EU, but it is part of a customs union to smooth trade. It’s time for a proper national conversation about the UK/EU relationship.
A day out in the Cotswolds
I spent a wonderful day at the Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens, which exhibits over 260 different species of animals. The park is set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens in Oxfordshire. Its owner and managing director, Reggie Heyworth, had appeared on my podcast, James Reed: All About Business. Reggie has kept alive the vision established by his father and founder of the park, John Heyworth. We loved seeing the baby camels and baby penguins in particular. I would highly recommend it as a day out with the children or grandchildren. Everyone there on Sunday seemed to be having a very happy time.
Punch’s West End transfer is well deserved
Punch at the Young Vic is one of the best contemporary plays I’ve seen recently. Its run there has just come to an end, but it’s transferring to the West End this autumn, and is well worth seeing if you can get a ticket.
From Olivier Award-winning writer James Graham (Dear England, Ink, This House), it’s a compelling true-life story about Jacob Dunne, a teenager from Nottingham, who one fateful evening throws an impulsive punch that leads to fatal consequences. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James – ask to meet, sparking a transformation in Jacob’s life. David Shields, who plays Jacob, and Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Joan, are exceptional.
The myth of the work-life balance
I’m enjoying the hit drama Severance on Apple TV, which is about compartmentalising (in this case, using futuristic surgery) your work from your home life. In real life, this approach rarely works. As a family businessman and entrepreneur, I have always found it impossible to separate work and home life – indeed, I don’t know where one ends and the other begins. My advice is to try to enjoy both – and if that means finding a new job or moving to another country, go for it. We all only live once.
A new north London gem
I had a superb meal at Don’t Tell Dad in Queen’s Park, a bakery by day and a bistro by night. This stylish restaurant was founded by local Daniel Land, the former banker behind pasta chain Coco di Mama. The food is cosmopolitan English and thoroughly delicious. Five stars from me!
James Reed is the chairman and CEO of Reed