I will “continue to lobby” Keir Starmer to agree a youth mobility deal with the EU

Sadiq Khan has said he is continuing to lobby Sir Keir Starmer to create an EU youth mobility program – despite the government’s opposition to the policy.

Sir Keir is expected to hold a lunchtime meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday – where officials are equally interested in such a program.

If an agreement is reached, it will enable young people from the UK to live and work in the EU for a limited period and vice versa.

The prime minister has so far rejected the idea, telling reporters last week: “We have no plans for a youth mobility program, but we are going (to Brussels) this week for an important meeting – I don’t want to get ahead of any important discussion we will have.”

A government spokesman said in August: “We are not considering this issue, there are no plans to do so and no work is being done on it.”

However, the Mayor of London said reaching an agreement was “hugely important” and could help solve the capital’s skills shortage.

Khan told the Standard on Tuesday: “There are a few things I want to see in relation to this particular area. One of them, which I think is within my reach, is that I think it is possible for us to come up with an Erasmus program.

“Not like the old Erasmus program, because we would need government support – but a shorter program where students can study abroad and others can study here, working with higher education colleagues in other cities.

“The second thing is things that I don’t have the power to do but that I lobby for, so I’m lobbying the government for a youth mobility program.”

The UK currently has youth mobility agreements with Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and several other countries, but no such program with the EU. In April, the European Commission proposed a visa system that would allow European and British citizens aged 18 to 30 to stay in each other’s countries for a maximum of four years, but no agreement has been reached.

“I think it’s a great program because people under 30 work in London and vice versa,” Khan said. “I will continue to put pressure on the government regarding the future youth mobility program.”

Ahead of his trip to Brussels, Sir Keir said he was “determined to put the Brexit years behind us and establish a more pragmatic and mature relationship with the European Union”.

An unnamed EU official told the Guardian this week: “The first thing the commission wants to see is whether Starmer is willing to deal with the details of the youth mobility scheme. If it shows the will to do so, it could unlock many other ‘low-hanging fruits’ such as a defense agreement.”