Andrew Neil rips into Keir Starmer over ‘terrible’ Erasmus deal with EU | Politics | News
Andrew Neil has warned that Labour’s deal to rejoin the EU Erasmus program is a “terrible deal” for the UK. Young people will be able to study or receive training under the scheme from January 2027, at a cost of £570 million this year.
He wrote of publisher
Work on Britain’s return to the Erasmus program was announced as part of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit reset deal with Brussels in May.
The UK abandoned the project under Boris Johnson, who argued the scheme did not provide value for money and would mean a net cost of £2bn over seven years. Instead, Turing launched his plan.
The Conservative Party also criticized the move, with frontbench Alex Burghart saying: “The UK rejoining Erasmus was a huge Brussels demand and Keir Starmer appears to have caved in to the EU for £500m, getting nothing, just as he did on our fishing rights.”
Downing Street has insisted the UK’s agreement to rejoin the EU Erasmus program is a “good deal”.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the £570 million the UK would pay for 2027 was “less than the approximately £810 million we would pay under default terms”.
He added: “The UK will get most of this money back to distribute to UK beneficiaries.
“We will also have the opportunity to compete for grants directly from the £1bn central fund managed by the European Commission.”
The Times reported that Britain was pushing for a 50% reduction in membership fees.
EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the move was a “huge win for our young people”.
He added: “Today’s agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working. We focused on public priorities and delivered a deal that puts opportunity first.”
