LONDON — The British economy needs a “labor shortage” in order get people off their “backsides” and into jobs, Reform UK’s deputy leader said Thursday.

In an interview with POLITICO ahead of next week’s much-hyped EU-U.K. reset summit, Richard Tice rubbished the idea of greater youth mobility between the bloc and the U.K. — and warned of a “sell out” of British interests by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

The comments come as Reform UK, led by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, tries to turn up the heat on Starmer over migration after coming top in local elections.

“I want there to be a labor shortage, because that’s the way to getting productivity improvements,” Tice said. “That’s the way to get wage growth for the least well-off and that’s the way to get millions of people off benefits and back into work.”

For Tice, any youth mobility deal — a key EU objective in upcoming talks — would open “a backdoor to the freedom of movement.” Britain’s Labour government has repeatedly stressed that a return to European free movement post-Brexit is a red line in any talks with Brussels. Mindful of being accused of unpicking Brexit, it has similarly ruled out pushing a return to the customs union or single market.

But Tice said of youth mobility: “You will have lots of young people from Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Romania, pouring into the U.K. and then finding reasons to stay here or overstay their visas. This is the thin end of opening to [EU] freedom of movement.” 

Despite concerns that Britain could face acute labor shortages in sectors like healthcare and hospitality, Tice called his approach “carrot and stick” — arguing that worker shortages would force wages up and thereby encourage more participation in the workforce. 

“We want a world leading-benefit system,” he said. “But if you think you can make a lifestyle choice to sit on your backside and watch telly all day, forget it.” 

No deal until boats stop

Elsewhere in his interview, the deputy Reform boss dismissed the idea of reopening negotiations with Brussels entirely until France “carries out their legal obligation” to stop small boats carrying irregular migrants across the English Channel. 

Britain signed an agreement with France in February to toughen up action on illegal migrant crossings, but Tice said of the summit: “There’s nothing to talk about until France carry out their legal obligation to pick up the boats and take them back to France. When they do that, we can talk about stuff. Until they do that, forget it.”

The summit arrives at a politically-charged moment for Starmer, who is facing domestic pressure to curb both legal and illegal immigration. The government recently unveiled a crackdown on overseas recruitment and graduate visas, just days after voters turned to Reform UK in the local elections. 

Reform, however, spies an opportunity in public anger about immigration. 

“I don’t think this place has any idea about their fury and rage,” he said. “With these local elections — be under no illusion — no one was talking about potholes or bins. All they were talking about on every door was immigration.”