Parliament to debate youth mobility bill following Abta intervention
James ChappleAbta’s hopes of securing a UK-EU youth mobility scheme has taken a major step forward after MPs committed to laying a bill designed to cut through "a tangle of Brexit red tape".
The 2016 Brexit referendum and the UK’s subsequent departure from the EU on 31 January 2020 ended so-called posted working provisions, meaning UK businesses could no longer "post" seasonal workers to the continent, such as reps and chalet hosts.
Abta’s public affairs team recently briefed Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary on the issue, who on Wednesday (15 January) tabled a motion to bring in the bill.
Addressing MPs, MacCleary cited Abta research highlighting the 69% decline in UK nationals working in the EU in the five years following the Brexit referendum. In addition, he flagged the vast £82.5 billion worth of the UK’s tourism sector to the economy.
The end of posted working has hit the winter sports sector hard, a point made by Skiworld sales and marketing director and Seasonal Businesses in Travel (Sbit) director Diane Palumbo in a TTG column last year, in which she revealed nearly half of senior managers in travel worked a season overseas.
"It’s an amazing statistic, one that demonstrates how both in-destination knowledge and service experience are key in our sector," she said. "We should be proud. Yet we have seen marked decreases in opportunities for young people to gain this crucial experience."
MacCleary presented evidence from Sbit members in his address, telling MPs he had heard from one UK-based tourism company that once employed more than 400 young Britons a year.
"Mobility restrictions have forced it to drastically scale back its operations, undermining years of competitive advantage, and slashing training and employment opportunities for young UK workers," he said.
MacCleary reiterated youth mobility stood entirely separate to more general labour mobility, and ongoing discussions around immigration.
"What I am proposing is a pragmatic, defined scheme that will once again allow young people across the UK to be able to spend time with our nearest neighbours without having to navigate a tangle of Brexit red tape," he said.
Abta said it contacted MacCleary’s office ahead of his 10-minute rule motion, who requested case studies demonstrating the potential benefits of a youth mobility arrangement. "It was encouraging to see Abta and some of our data was highlighted," said Abta.
The association has made youth mobility one of its core focuses since the Brexit vote, stressing the opportunities for young people to develop language skills, to address labour shortages, stimulate economic growth and reset UK-EU relations.
MacCleary also criticised other ministers for "mischaracterising" youth mobility as a return to freedom of movement. "That is categorically not what is being proposed here," he said.
"Any scheme would be time-limited and involve a restricted cohort of eligible people. I truly hope the government will seriously reconsider their short-sighted and self-defeating position on the issue."
The bill will return to the Commons later this year, and will provisionally undergo a second reading on Friday 25 July 2025.
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