Britain is poised to make a significant post-Brexit U-turn by rejoining the EU’s Erasmus Plus student exchange programme, opening the door to tens of thousands of young Europeans. Downing Street is expected to announce the deal with Brussels on Wednesday, marking the first major result of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s drive for closer ties with Europe.

The agreement comes after Sir Keir said he was prepared to make “trade-offs” in talks with the bloc, as the government sought to push through the deal to demonstrate its EU “reset” has not stalled, following the collapse of talks on joining the bloc’s weapons-buying programme.

Under the terms of the deal, 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 have the same right to spend a year at a university on the Continent, with UK participation in the scheme expected to restart from January 2027.

Universities welcome move, but controversy looms

The announcement has been warmly welcomed by universities, which have lobbied for Britain to rejoin the scheme. However, the decision may prove controversial in some quarters, as Britain could have continued membership of Erasmus post-Brexit but opted not to sign up due to concerns over value for money.

At the time of the UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus, Brussels was demanding almost £300 million a year from the UK to stay in the programme, despite the fact that it heavily favored EU students. In 2018, almost 32,000 young people traveled to Britain under the scheme, compared to just 17,000 Britons who went in the opposite direction, with France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands sending the most students to the UK.

Taxpayer cost estimated at £200m a year

As a result of the imbalance, the Erasmus programme was estimated to cost the British taxpayer more than £200m a year. Instead of continuing with Erasmus, Tory ministers set up the Turing Scheme, which provides grants for young Britons to work and study around the globe.

Sir John Redwood, a former Tory MP, criticized the government’s decision, saying, “The Government’s wish to spend money on Erasmus and opening our borders to more young people from the EU fails to target our tax money and efforts on our own young people. Instead, they face more difficulty in finding a job and a home.”

Reports suggest that the EU has offered the UK government a 30 per cent reduction in fees as part of the agreement for Britain to rejoin Erasmus Plus. Universities have welcomed the announcement, with the Russell Group stating, “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.”