UK to rejoin EU's Erasmus student exchange scheme

The UK is rejoining the Erasmus student exchange scheme, as part of the government's push for closer relations with the European Union.

The popular programme allowed Britons to spend a year studying at European universities as part of their degree, without paying extra fees, and vice versa for their European counterparts.

It ended for British students after Brexit on 1 January 2021 and was replaced by the Turing scheme.

But the government has announced that the UK will participate in the scheme in the 2027/28 academic year, during which over 100,000 Britons could study or train in Europe.

The UK will pay approximately £570m to join the scheme for that year, after which future participation will have to be negotiated as part of the EU’s long-term budget, which is set from 2028.

The government says any future UK participation in the scheme will need to be “based on a fair and balanced contribution”.

Nonetheless, EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described the UK's participation in the scheme in 2027 as "a huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons to ensure everyone, from every background, has the opportunity to study and train abroad".

"Today's agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working. We have focused on the public's priorities and secured a deal that puts opportunity first," he added.

How did we get here?

Sir Keir Starmer promised a post-Brexit reset deal with Brussels and announced the government was working on rejoining the programme in May.

Negotiations have included work on "mutually agreed financial terms" for the UK and the EU.

The UK had pushed for a discount on membership fees, which are calculated on the basis of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), and the EU offered a 30% reduction for this first year of membership.

Labour MP Darren Frith told Sky News' Politics Hub last night that he would "welcome" such a move.

'Fantastic opportunities for students'

The UK's universities have welcomed the breakthrough.

Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group of leading universities, said: "We're delighted at the UK's association to Erasmus+.

"With an even greater scope than previous programmes, Erasmus+ opens up fantastic opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to all benefit from new experiences and learning.

"It will also renew the huge contributions that EU students and staff make to life on our university campuses."

The Lib Dems, who have been campaigning to rejoin Erasmus, welcomed the news.

Leader Sir Ed Davey said: "This is a moment of real opportunity and a clear step towards repairing the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal."

But Conservative shadow cabinet minister Stuart Andrew told Sky's Mornings With Ridge and Frost that what "puzzles" him is that Labour said in its manifesto that it wasn't going to go near the "European arguments" of the last decade, but "bit by bit we're getting these sorts of announcements".

He added: "The detail will be really important because what we want to ensure is, is it good value for money? Because I think before, we were concerned it wasn't. Equally, how do we ensure we know exactly who's come into the country and that they return once their scheme is up. So there's going to be a lot of detail we need to see."

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