By Noël Wolf

Imagine a generation of young Brits once again hopping on trains to Berlin, Paris or Barcelona. Not just for a holiday, but to live, work and learn.

That’s the promise of a potential EU Youth Mobility Scheme: a post-Brexit reboot of the freedom young people once had under Erasmus and free movement, now reimagined.

It would let 18 to 30 year olds from the UK and EU spend up to two years in each other’s countries, gaining experience, language skills and a sense of shared belonging. In an era defined by borders and bureaucracy, it would be a rare policy that brings back a spirit of exchange.

But the thing we don’t talk about enough is that it might just prove to be one of the smartest economic moves in the Budget.

This could prove to be one of the most quietly transformative policies in years. Beyond the politics and headlines, it represents something deeper: a chance to rebuild the linguistic and cultural bridge between the UK and Europe and to give our economy a much-needed but often overlooked boost in the process.

When the UK left the EU, it also pulled out of the Erasmus programme, which had allowed around 15,000 British students a year to study, work, and train abroad with financial support. In return, tens of thousands of young Europeans came to the UK, contributing to universities, local economies and cultural exchange.

The government’s replacement, the Turing Scheme, funds placements abroad but does not offer the same reciprocal access meaning fewer Europeans come here, and fewer partnerships are formed.

According to the House of Commons Library, UK........

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