Migrants moving to the UK under Labour’s youth mobility scheme will not be able to bring their families with them, the Government has confirmed.
Industry minister Sarah Jones said the controversial deal is “similar” to “13 other schemes” with countries such as Australia.
Fears are intensifying the youth mobility scheme could signal the return of freedom of movement – a key red line for many Brexiteers.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said on Tuesday morning: “Starmer’s Youth Mobility Scheme opens the door to potentially millions of EU migrants – will they have rights to stay?
“Could they bring dependents? Will British taxpayers pay their uni fees?
“We closed that chapter with Brexit. Labour are intent on reopening it.”
But Ms Jones revealed key details of the proposed youth mobility scheme.
She told Times Radio: “I think what is really important about the youth experience scheme is to be clear that you will need a visa for it, your time here is limited, the number of people will be capped, and I can’t give you a number now on what that cap will be, you can’t bring your family”.
Asked, on Times Radio, to clarify whether young people would be able to bring “dependants” with them, Ms Jones confirmed: “You can’t bring your family, no.
“It is similar to 13 other schemes, some of which were negotiated by the last Government. The Australia scheme was. It is not uncommon to have this kind of opportunity, for our kids to go and experience new things and new countries and I think most people would welcome that.”
Critics have declared Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been “stitched up like a kipper” by Europe as his “sell-out” for smoother trade will crush the UK fishing industry, drive up immigration and cost taxpayers millions.
Ms Jones refused to confirm how much the UK will be forced to pay the EU after being sucked back into Brussels’ orbit.
The UK will pay administration costs, which have yet to be decided, for participation in measures such as the scheme to make it easier to ship animal and plant products to the EU.
But Ms Jones insisted the cost to taxpayers from Sir Keir Starmer’s deal with the European Union will be outweighed by the economic benefits.
Ms Jones told Sky News: “We are not paying, through any of this, for access to markets. That is not what we are doing. We are not rejoining the EU.
“Where we will pay, and these things will be negotiated, where we will pay is where there are joint costs that need to be paid.”
She added: “Whatever administrative costs we have to pay, and they will be negotiated and I don’t have an answer for you now on what those costs are, they will be outweighed very significantly by what we estimate will be a £9 billion advantage a year by 2040.”
Writing exclusively in the Daily Express the Reform UK leader said: “It’s an abject surrender and Labour have well and truly sold out our fishing industry all in the name of closer ties to an ever-diminishing political union.”
And he accused the Prime Minister of “bending over backwards to appease EU interests”.
Among the agreements was a 12-year extension of fishing arrangements when the current deal ends next year, allowing European vessels to operate in UK waters under the same terms until 2038.
Boris Johnson said the deal with Brussels means the UK risks becoming the “gimp of Brussels”.
Under the deal EU fishing boats will be guaranteed access to UK waters on the current terms for 12 years, after a French ambush demanding longer guarantees than the four years Sir Keir originally offered.
Ministers have announced a £360million fund to help appease furious coastal communities.
There will be no change to current access to fish for coastal communities and no reduction in the British quota or increase in the quota the EU is allowed to catch.
Under the terms of Boris Johnson’s 2020 Brexit deal, the EU gave up 25% of its fishing quotas – phased up to 2026.
From next year there were due to be annual negotiations, which the UK fishing industry hoped would provide leverage to restore its hold.
However, quotas will now be frozen until at least 2038.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said the Government has “surrendered” fishing in its deal, and that it shows Scotland is an “afterthought” in decision making.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation branded the UK-EU deal a “horror show” for the sector.
Sir Keir also signed the UK up to a “youth experience” arrangement giving potentially 80 million Europeans rights to live, study and work here.
Sir Keir stressed it would be “capped and time limited”, arguing the Government’s crackdown on immigration will not be compromised.
In return, the deal would see checks on lorries taking food to the continent lifted permanently – ending the so-called “sausage wars”.
That is supposed to boost the economy by £9billion by 2040.
However, the UK will have to accept “dynamic alignment” with Brussels rules in the sector. The details also reveal that Britain will need to make ‘an appropriate financial contribution’ to the EU’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems.
The same goes for moves to link the EU and UK carbon trading markets, with officials refusing to estimate how much will have to be paid in.
Defence firms will get access to a £126 billion EU-wide weapons fund, although British taxpayers again face having to pay millions for the privilege.
British tourists could be spared queues when travelling to the continent, with permission to use e-gates at European airports and red tape on taking pets eased.
