Will a free-movement deal be struck between Spain and UK?

Since the 2016 Brexit referendum, young Brits have been missing out on the mind-broadening experience of working and studying in Europe while EU 18–30-year-olds are no longer welcome in the UK on those bases.

But Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has apparently mooted the idea of a UK-Spain deal that would allow young Spaniards to live and work in the UK and young Brits to do likewise in Spain for a period of four years.

The proposal came up during a private meeting between Sánchez and the newly elected British PM, Sir Keir Starmer during the mid-July European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, sparking fears that Sir Keir is edging towards a reversal on Brexit.

The Sunday Telegraph reports that Starmer did not reject the idea of a Spain-UK free-movement deal for the young and told Sánchez he would consider it, though a senior source suggested it was merely a case of British politeness.

Just months ago in April, the former UK PM, Rishi Sunak. rejected a proposal from Brussels to allow the 18-30 demographic free movement between Britain and the EU. Labour also said it would not be on board with such a proposal if elected.

On a possible Spain-UK deal, James Cleverly, the Shadow Home Secretary promptly weighed in: “They said they wanted to bring migration down and rejected a Youth Mobility Scheme with the European Union and now Keir Starmer is getting ready to open up our borders,” the Daily Mail reports.

The manifesto on which Labour won the July general election in the UK said there would be “no return to … freedom of movement.” But a bilateral deal with Spain “would not in itself break that pledge,” according to The Guardian.

The UK already has some form of youth mobility scheme with 13 non-EU countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as South Korea, though visas are required as are savings worth £2,530 ($3,252).

Sánchez’s proposal comes soon after Germany suggested youth mobility between the UK and the EU could help the UK to renegotiate the Brexit deal to bring Britain and the EU closer on trade and other important issues, such as security.

Despite Sir Keir having briefly campaigned some years ago for another referendum in a bid to reverse Brexit, he subsequently promised to “embrace” the Brexiteer message pushed by ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to Politico.

More recently, Sir Keir has made it clear he wishes to reset relations with the EU after the messy divorce that ensued in the wake of a referendum result of 52% Leave and 48% Remain.

Sir Keir’s flirtation with Spain has offered hope to young Brits who feel confined by both Labour and the Conservatives stance on mobility to date.

“I think both parties are misreading the public – I really don’t think there is a big appetite for being anti-European,” a 35-year-old healthcare worker told The Guardian.

According to the news site, a significant number of young UK graduates said they would immediately move to a European country for work or training opportunities if a youth mobility scheme between the UK and the EU were adopted.

In a bid to assuage concerns of another U-turn, a government spokesman told The Telegraph: “We have been clear that we won't rejoin the single market, customs union or reintroduce freedom of movement, and we are not considering a youth mobility scheme.”

Early this year, London mayor Sadiq Khan made no bones about where he stood on the issue calling for a deal for free movement between Britain and the UK for the young, stressing that it would redress the economic and cultural harm that Brexit had caused.

He said the Brexit deal hammered out by Boris Johnson had “done damage right across London and it is young people who have been hardest hit in so many ways,” reports The Guardian.

According to Statista, in May 2024, 55% of people in the UK believe leaving the EU was a mistake while 31% believe it was the right way to go. ‘Bregretters’ have been in the majority since late July 2022.

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