Major Brexit U-turn will cost the UK taxpayer £200M and benefit EU | UK | News
Britain is preparing to make a significant post-Brexit U-turn, opening the door to tens of thousands of young Europeans by rejoining the EU’s Erasmus Plus student exchange programme. Downing Street is expected to announce the deal with Brussels on Wednesday; This is the first major outcome of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s push for closer ties with Europe.
The deal comes after Sir Keir said he was ready to make a “change” in talks with the bloc as the government sought to push for a deal to show the EU’s “reboot” had not stalled after talks on joining the bloc’s arms purchase program collapsed.
Under the terms of the agreement, European students will be able to come to the UK to study for a year as part of their course while continuing to pay fees at their home university. British students will be eligible to spend a year at a university on the Continent, with UK participation in the program expected to resume from January 2027.
Universities welcome move but debate continues
The announcement was warmly welcomed by universities, which have been lobbying for the UK to rejoin the programme. However, the decision may be controversial in some quarters as the UK could continue its Erasmus membership post-Brexit but choose not to sign up due to value for money concerns.
At the time the UK withdrew from Erasmus, Brussels was demanding around £300 million a year from the UK to remain in the programme, despite it heavily favoring EU students. While nearly 32,000 young people traveled to Britain under the scheme in 2018, only 17,000 Britons traveled in the opposite direction; France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands were the countries that sent the most students to the United Kingdom.
Cost to taxpayers estimated at £200 million per year
As a result of the imbalance, the Erasmus program is estimated to cost British taxpayers more than £200 million a year. Instead of continuing Erasmus, Conservative ministers established the Turing Scheme, which provides grants for young Britons to work and study around the world.
Former Conservative MP Sir John Redwood criticized the government’s decision, saying: “The government’s desire to spend money on Erasmus and open our borders to more young people from the EU fails to target our tax money and efforts towards our own young people. Instead, they face further difficulties finding work and homes.”
Reports indicate that the EU has offered the UK government a 30 per cent reduction in fees as part of the UK’s deal to rejoin Erasmus Plus. Universities welcomed the announcement and the Russell Group said: “Erasmus+ offers great opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to benefit from new experiences and learning. It will also renew the huge contribution EU students and staff make to life on our university campuses.”
