'It would be easier to run sensible immigration policy with EU freedom of movement. Better to have migrants with good employment rights who can respond to shifting demand by switching employers and moving back and forth from the UK rather than vulnerable workers trapped by company- or sector-specific visas. It’s unlikely the UK would be flooded with cheap European labour: incomes in central and eastern European countries have rapidly converged with those in western Europe. But anything related to the EU and free movement of workers remains toxic. Depressingly, Labour this year ruled out the European Commission’s suggestion of an EU-UK youth mobility scheme.'

https://www.ft.com/content/a0e9fe66-5ca1-4fbc-af7a-6cbbe4f1da1d