Last Friday, the prime minister rejected the post-Brexit youth mobility deal, which would have allowed Britons aged between 18 and 30 to live, study or work in the EU for up to four years, after Labour declined the offer the previous day.
"This scheme seems like a no-brainer - I cannot think why anyone would disagree with it," said Elena, who works in the healthcare sector in north-east England. She dismissed concerns that people could end up trying to overstay and settle in the UK permanently.
"I have friends who have taken advantage of such schemes with Canada, Australia and New Zealand and none of them ended up moving permanently to those countries.
I suspect the resistance from the Tories and Labour is based on a belief that a sizeable chunk of the British public would balk at the idea of eastern Europeans freely crossing our borders again.
"I think both parties are misreading the public - I really don't think there is a big appetite for being anti-European." Hundreds of people who shared their views on the proposal with the Guardian appeared to agree with Elena, who says her employer is struggling to recruit people with fluency in a European language since Brexit.
Scores of people working in a variety of sectors including hospitality, health and social care, teaching, scientific research, technology, IT, defence, aviation, construction and the arts said their business or sector would benefit enormously from young Britons and Europeans having greater freedom of movement.
Jo Wright, 58, an architect who lives between Bath and London, said she was "furious that both Sunak and Starmer have rejected the EU offer. I run a large architecture practice and many of our team are EU citizens who thankfully stayed here after Brexit.
There is a huge shortage of skills in the market and this is already impacting on London's status as a global centre of creative excellence.
"Reinstating freedom of movement would allow young people to embrace the opportunity to broaden their horizons and bring back some of the talent we have lost in the post-Brexit exodus."
Roger Hardacre, 65, from Preston, in Lancashire, who retired from managing a hi-tech company in Manchester with 15 staff, also said the UK economy would benefit from easier access to Europe's next generation of talent.
He said: "This proposal is an excellent idea. I'm reti...
"This scheme seems like a no-brainer - I cannot think why anyone would disagree with it," said Elena, who works in the healthcare sector in north-east England. She dismissed concerns that people could end up trying to overstay and settle in the UK permanently.
"I have friends who have taken advantage of such schemes with Canada, Australia and New Zealand and none of them ended up moving permanently to those countries.
I suspect the resistance from the Tories and Labour is based on a belief that a sizeable chunk of the British public would balk at the idea of eastern Europeans freely crossing our borders again.
"I think both parties are misreading the public - I really don't think there is a big appetite for being anti-European." Hundreds of people who shared their views on the proposal with the Guardian appeared to agree with Elena, who says her employer is struggling to recruit people with fluency in a European language since Brexit.
Scores of people working in a variety of sectors including hospitality, health and social care, teaching, scientific research, technology, IT, defence, aviation, construction and the arts said their business or sector would benefit enormously from young Britons and Europeans having greater freedom of movement.
Jo Wright, 58, an architect who lives between Bath and London, said she was "furious that both Sunak and Starmer have rejected the EU offer. I run a large architecture practice and many of our team are EU citizens who thankfully stayed here after Brexit.
There is a huge shortage of skills in the market and this is already impacting on London's status as a global centre of creative excellence.
"Reinstating freedom of movement would allow young people to embrace the opportunity to broaden their horizons and bring back some of the talent we have lost in the post-Brexit exodus."
Roger Hardacre, 65, from Preston, in Lancashire, who retired from managing a hi-tech company in Manchester with 15 staff, also said the UK economy would benefit from easier access to Europe's next generation of talent.
He said: "This proposal is an excellent idea. I'm reti...
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The Guardian (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 26, 2024