Trevor Phillips wasn’t holding back as he grilled Labour minister Nick Thomas-Symonds about splits within the Cabinet over the government’s proposed EU deal. The controversial deal includes a youth mobility scheme, which would allow UK and EU citizens aged 18 to 30 to move freely between the two regions.
However, not everyone in Labour is on board with the plan. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has been vocal about her opposition to the scheme due to concerns over immigration.
🔴 Yvette Cooper’s Stance on the Deal
Keir Starmer is pushing for the youth mobility scheme as part of his efforts to rebuild the UK’s relationship with the EU. But Cooper isn’t convinced. She’s focused on reducing net migration, and she made that clear in a Sky News interview this morning.
When Phillips played a clip from an earlier interview with Cooper, she said: “We’ve been clear that we need net migration to come down. Under the Conservatives, net migration quadrupled in the space of four years. That was the wrong thing for the UK, so we’re clear that net migration needs to come down. So [a youth mobility scheme] is not an approach that we’re looking for.”
💥 Phillips Puts Thomas-Symonds on the Spot
Phillips wasted no time questioning Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister leading the negotiations. He asked: “So if you get a youth mobility scheme in this agreement, when is Yvette Cooper going to resign?”
Thomas-Symonds responded: “Yvette Cooper is doing an absolutely fantastic job.” But Phillips pressed him: “Yeah, but you’re not doing the job she wants you to do. She just said this is not an approach we want.”
⚖️ Government’s Changing Position on the Deal
Thomas-Symonds tried to defend the deal, arguing that it was in line with the government’s broader goal of reducing net migration. He said: “What Yvette Cooper is saying there, and is absolutely the policy of the government, is that we’re going to reduce the level of net migration, and anything agreed on youth mobility would be consistent with that objective.”
But Phillips wasn’t convinced. “That was as clear a statement as I’ve ever heard from her,” he said. “The youth mobility scheme is not an approach we want to take.”
💼 The Bigger Picture: What’s at Stake?
Thomas-Symonds continued to defend the deal, calling it “an overall balanced package” that would work for Britain’s borders, jobs, and help lower people’s bills. He reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing net migration.
Starmer is set to unveil the new EU deal at a summit in London on Monday. But with tensions running high within the Cabinet, it remains to be seen what fallout the deal will cause.
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