Labour's Pat McFadden denies new EU 'youth free movement' scheme will harm efforts to tackle NEETs crisis among young Brits

Published: 10:09 EST, 15 November 2026 | Updated: 10:10 EST, 15 November 2026 Labour's Pat McFadden today denied a new youth mobility scheme allowing EU nationals to work in the UK will harm efforts to tackle the number of jobless Brits.The Work and Pensions Secretary insisted the proposed deal with the EU will not hinder the Government's bid to reduce youth unemployment in the UK.The Prime Minister is due to finalise his Brexit 'reset' with EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday, as he seeks closer ties with the bloc.Andy Burnham is poised to sign deals on food and drink and emissions trading, as well as a so-called 'youth experience scheme'.This will allow EU nationals under 30 to live, work and study abroad in the UK, with the same rights afforded to young Brits to live, work and study across the EU.It has been reported that between 75,000 and 80,000 18-to-30-year-olds a year will be able to travel to the UK from the EU for up to three years under the scheme.But Mr McFadden dismissed a suggestion that allowing more foreign workers into the UK would undermine the Government's attempts to get young Brits into work.The PM is due to agree his 'reset' package just days after the publication of a major report on the almost one million young people not in education, employment or training – so-called NEETs. Labour's Pat McFadden today denied a new youth mobility scheme allowing EU nationals to work in the UK will harm efforts to tackle the number of jobless BritsAlan Milburn, the Labour ex-health secretary, is due to publish his proposals on Tuesday for tackling the NEETs crisis, as Mr Burnham tries to get to grips with the UK's ballooning benefits bill. Quizzed as to whether allowing firms to employ cheaper foreign workers through the youth mobility scheme would undermine Mr Milburn's plans, Mr McFadden said a number of EU countries have 'a far better record on NEETs than we have'.'They don't just have youth mobility schemes, they've all got free movement,' the Work and Pensions Secretary told Sky News.'So it hasn't stopped the Netherlands having a NEET rate one-third of ours, or Ireland having a NEET rate about half of ours. So I don't see it in that light.'And I think the best thing we can do, apart from the welfare changes we're making for young people, is make sure we have a growing economy.'Asked if he would be in favour of a wider return to EU free movement rules, as Mr Burnham floated recently, Mr McFadden replied: 'No, we're not proposing that.'But there is a youth mobility scheme on the table. What I'm saying is we can have that and still attack the youth lack of activity problem that is bedeviling about a million young people in this country at the moment. And I think we can do both of these things.'The PM, who has expressed a wish to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime, has vowed to 'explore options' for a new long-term relationship with the bloc.He wants to use Friday's summit in Brussels to 'set up a serious dialogue' about the UK's future ties with the EU, having claimed the 'status quo is not good enough'.Mr McFadden said the UK needed 'a closer relationship' with the EU, but added: 'I don't think the end state of this is defined yet.'