An EU-UK mobility scheme work won't erase the violent indifference' against young people. But it's a start | Zoe Williams

"We can look at all of the ways in which young people have seen their economic prospects and work opportunities systematically destroyed and see that they all date from 2010. First, the tripling of the tuition fee cap saddled them with debts that have become astronomical, particularly for degrees that are socially beneficial, such as medicine and nursing; this, incidentally from a coalition in which one party explicitly promised never to do that."

"Then, Brexit removed young people's freedom of movement, while making their country permanently poorer. I didn't vote for that, but at least I could have; I cannot imagine the indignation I'd feel if I'd been under 18 for the referendum and still had to deal with its consequences every day, while simultaneously being told that it was my fault the red wall was angry, because I was too woke."

"Political cliche offers us a simple explanation: old people vote, young people don't, therefore the old are rigorously prioritised, whether by the benefits system with the triple-lock, or the political culture, which puts their abstract notions of sovereignty and amorphous concerns about Britishness above anything an 18-year-old might think about finding a bar job in Split. To accept that, though, is to accept that politics has been profoundly debased;"

The Youth Matters plan proposes £500m to boost resilience and teach skills for young people. Political indifference toward youth has produced deteriorating economic prospects since 2010. The tripling of the tuition fee cap created astronomical debts, especially affecting socially beneficial degrees such as medicine and nursing. The tuition-fees approach failed to secure sustainable tertiary funding and relied on cross-subsidy from foreign students even as policy sought to deter them. Brexit removed young people's freedom of movement and reduced national prosperity, disproportionately harming those too young to vote. Political priorities and benefits mechanisms increasingly favor older voters, undermining generational progress.

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