The EU has made a youth mobility scheme one of its key stipulations in post-Brexit negotiations with the UK. Prime minister Keir Starmer met with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week ahead of a full summit set to be held in London on 19 May.

"Discussing the ongoing negotiations to strengthen the UK-EU partnership, they both agreed that good progress had been made,” a Downing Street spokesperson told the BBC.

“They asked their teams to continue their important work in the coming weeks, with the aim of delivering as ambitious a package as possible at the first UK-EU summit next month."

Any such scheme would not offer the full freedom of movement enjoyed before Brexit, but it could allow Britons aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in the EU for a set amount of time.

Reciprocal rights would be given to European citizens in a similar fashion to the bilateral agreements the UK has with countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand where young people can live, work and study in the UK for up to three years.

According to the BBC, the scheme’s length will be at the centre of talks as the European Union has been pushing for visas to last up to four years while home secretary Yvette Cooper is reportedly pushing for the visa to last one year.

The government’s decision to seemingly soften its stance comes after more than 60 Labour MPs called for “a new and bespoke youth visa scheme” to “extend new cultural, educational, and economic opportunities to young people in the UK".

The announcement was welcomed by Abta director of public affairs Luke Petherbridge, who told TTG the development would give hope to the travel industry, which pre-Brexit relied on the tenets of the EU Posted Workers Directive to "post" workers – often younger people – to Europe to work as reps and chalet hosts.

"Abta has been working at pace to build a coalition of support for a UK-EU youth mobility deal among MPs and peers,” Petherbridge continued. “A youth mobility scheme agreement would not only strengthen our cultural ties with EU countries, but as stated by the Centre for European Reform, help boost economic growth."

In January, MPs committed to laying a bill designed to cut through “a tangle of Brexit red tape”, which included provisions on seasonal workers. The bill will return to the Commons later this year, with a second reading scheduled provisionally for late-July.