A spokesperson for Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the government have ‘no plans’ to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.
The UK left the student exchange programme due to Brexit, sparking anger from campaigners and stakeholders. Erasmus was then replace by the Turing scheme.
Previously, London Mayor Sadiq Khan signed a petition with the aim of the UK rejoining Erasmus+, and the European Commission suggested a ‘discussion on the possible association of the UK to Erasmus+’ ahead of the election.
However, hopes of the UK returning to Erasmus+ have now been dashed. This comes as polling commissioned by POLITICO found that 51% of British voters believe rejoining scheme would be a good idea.
Mike Galsworthy, Chair of the European Movement UK said it is ‘plainly untenable’ for the current government to stay out of Erasmus+:
‘There should be no barrier now. The British public voted for change. Opening up youth opportunities with Europe is clearly something they’d like to see change on. So the question is — where is it?’
