Europe offers UK ‘ backpacker deal’ on free movement

BRUSSELS last night offered Britain a ‘backpackers and baristas’ deal on free movement.

The European Commission is proposing a ‘ youth mobility’ scheme that would let 18- to 30year-olds from anywhere across the EU, for up to four years, move to the UK for work, travel or study.

Young Britons would have reciprocal rights to live in the EU.

EU arrivals would pay domestic rates for university tuition fees rather than the higher ones usually charged to foreign students, and would be exempted from paying a healthcare surcharge imposed on other migrants.

There would be no limit to the number allowed in under the scheme, which could help fill staffing shortages in restaurants or care homes.

The EC insisted that the plan would not reinstate pre-Brexit rights, saying: ‘It is not about conferring to young UK nationals the benefits of the fundamental freedom of movement enjoyed by EU citizens.’

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said: ‘The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union has hit young people in the EU and the UK who would like to study, work and live abroad particularly hard.

‘Today, we take the first step towards an ambitious but realistic agreement between the EU and the UK that would fix this issue. Our aim is to rebuild human bridges between young Europeans on both sides of the Channel.’

Some suspect that the EC proposal is aimed at a future Labour government.

Downing Street suggested the Government would prefer to do deals with individual countries instead of the whole bloc.