No-deal damaging to young people’s futures

COVID-19 disproportionately affects the older generation in terms of health, but young people will be unduly hit in another sense.

At a time when businesses are struggling to make profits and retain staff, it’s a tough time to be a new graduate on the job market.

Add to this the economic impacts of Brexit, which by all measures are set to be detrimental and young people face a double whammy at the start of their careers.

If that wasn’t punishment enough, we still face the threat of a no-deal Brexit at the end of this year, which will further our isolation and exacerbate the damage to business and the economy.

The consequences of Brexit will be long-term and detrimental for young people.

In addition to the substantial hit to the jobs market, we are set to lose our freedom of movement rights at the end of 2020, reducing the option for young people to mitigate the loss of employment opportunity by seeking employment abroad.

The outlook for future cohorts of graduates looks even bleaker.

Brexit threatens to take away work and study opportunities offered by EU-funded projects such as Erasmus+, Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe among many others.

While today’s students and recent graduates have access to these opportunities, a no-deal scenario takes away such rights.

Universities themselves have not escaped the impact. Once envied for their quality and reputation, UK universities are swiftly slipping down the world league tables, a result of Brexit, under-funding and historic unsustainable expansion.

The Prime Minister promised to deliver “a fantastic deal with the EU” during the 2019 General Election campaign.

However, with talks recently stalled as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, and with the government backtracking on previous agreements with the EU, the threat of a no-deal becomes increasingly likely.

A no-deal Brexit would be an irresponsible act of self-harm.

Trade barriers will create additional costs and red tape for businesses.

The inevitable fall in business output and trade will lead to further job losses, thereby reducing opportunities for new graduates and needlessly adding further obstacles to an already challenging transition.

In spite of the dismal outlook, nodeal remains a very real threat and it has to be ruled out as an option.

We cannot allow the current crisis to be compounded by a second economic crisis which is entirely avoidable.

To do so would be reckless and irresponsible governance and the public should not stand by and allow the government to pass such a damaging form of Brexit, which has no democratic basis at all.

To protect our young people and future generations, damage limitation should be an absolute priority, and that means ruling out no-deal as an option.

The government has already promised to deliver a “fantastic deal with the EU”.

The public should expect and demand nothing short of this promise.

Hania Orszulik, Leicester