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Deal with EU on youth mobility scheme IS on the cards, Labour MP says
'We are pushing at an open door', Stella Creasy says
A DEAL with the EU over free movement for young people IS on the cards, a senior Labour MP has suggested.
Stella Creasy said calls for a youth mobility scheme were “pushing at an open door”.
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She said it was an “absolute hot topic” for both the British Government and the European Commission.
“The good news is, it is being discussed,” Ms Creasy told a pro-Europe Labour group.
“It is very clear that there has been negotiation and movement on there. So we are pushing at an open door.”
But Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel accused Labour of trying to “unpick” Brexit.
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She said: “Labour can try and deny it all they like, but the whole country can see what their real game is - Keir Starmer is trying to unpick Brexit at every opportunity he can.
“Labour have surrendered in every negotiation they've entered from the Chagos Islands to inflation busting pay rises for their union chums, and this clearly won’t be any different.
“The Conservatives will not let them drag us back into the EU via the back door. We will hold them to account.”
A youth mobility, or “experience” scheme, long demanded by Brussels, could let under-30s live, work, and study freely between the UK and EU.
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Ms Creasy added: “I was in Brussels last week and I can absolutely confirm this is one of the topics that people want to talk to you about.”
She made the comments this month at a briefing for the Labour Movement for Europe.
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There are now more MPs who are members of the group than there are Tory MPs, according to reports.
Ms Creasy, who chairs the group, insists they are not plotting to rejoin the EU and are instead trying to “salvage” our relationship.
The MP for Walthamstow has been tipped as a potential Labour Mayor of London candidate.
Asked about rejoining, she added: “The honest truth is that talks and discussions – even if Europe were willing to entertain it for rejoining – would be a 10 year process.
“Frankly, an entire generation of young people do not have 10 years for negotiations.
“They need us to do things now, to salvage something for them, to have a future. And a youth mobility scheme is a starting point.”
A Government spokesperson said: "There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme and we will not return to freedom of movement."
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