The growing ties between Britain under Labour and the European Union were underlined after the UK agreed a deal to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus youth exchange programme, six years after it left following Brexit.
The UK government’s cabinet office said it will pay the EU about £570 million (€650 million) to rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme in 2027. The cost is expected to rise in future years, however, as Britain got an estimated 30 per cent discount on the 2027 fee.
This means Britain could eventually end up paying more than €850 million annually to rejoin a scheme that former UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, walked away from in 2021 saying it was too expensive.
The original Erasmus programme was opened in the 1980s as a student exchange scheme, but it now encompasses a wider remit including training, apprenticeships along with schemes for school students and teachers.
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Under the programme, EU participants spend a year at university or training abroad in another member state. The UK government said up to 100,000 Britons may take part from 2027 and that the scheme would be used to help students from poorer backgrounds.
“Today’s agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working,” said Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK minister responsible for negotiations with the EU.
“Joining Erasmus+ is a huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons,” he said.
However, the Conservative Party opposition accused the Labour government of capitulating “to a big Brussels demand”.
“[Prime minister] Keir Starmer has seemingly caved in to the EU without getting anything in return … just like he did over our fishing rights,” said Alex Burghart, the Tory shadow cabinet member for the cabinet office. He is also the shadow Northern Ireland secretary.
The Erasmus deal flows from the EU-UK “reset” summit held at Lancaster House in London in May.
[ UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programmeOpens in new window ]
It was agreed at the summit that both sides would seek a deal on Erasmus, as well as integrate their electricity markets and undertake a food and drink trade deal. The UK’s cabinet office said negotiations would now begin on the latter two.
The Erasmus scheme was hugely popular among UK students and its loss was seen in Britain as a big drawback of Brexit.
After it walked away from Erasmus, Britain under the last Tory government designed its own student exchange scheme called Turing, named after computer scientist Alan Turing. It provided about €120 million to fund placements of UK students abroad.
The future of the Turing scheme is now in doubt, following Britain’s return to Erasmus.
[ Erasmus+: A life-changing chance to study, train and grow abroadOpens in new window ]
The Tories complained on Wednesday that rejoining Erasmus, energy integration and a food trade deal that might encompass taking EU rules “looks less like pragmatism and more like pro-EU ideology”.
“The British people voted in 2016 to take back control, and Labour’s approach shows a worrying disregard for that democratic decision,” said Mr Burghart.
However, Labour’s decision to rejoin Erasmus had been a manifesto pledge for Labour and is considered popular among British young people.
