Reactions have flooded social media today following the government’s announcement the UK will rejoin the EU’s flagship Horizon programme.
The UK was frozen out of the £85 billion science research programme following post-Brexit disputes between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
A partnership between Europe’s leading research institutes and technology companies, the UK’s readmission ends a two-year standoff with the bloc over science funding.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said in a statement that he had secured “improved financial terms of association” with the Horizon project.
“This is the right deal for the UK, unlocking unparalleled research opportunities, and also the right deal for British taxpayers,” they said.
Appearing on Sky News, science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan hailed this as “fantastic news” for the British taxpayer.
She said: “What we’re announcing today is a great deal – a deal that many said we wouldn’t be able to get.
“We didn’t just accept the deal on the table, we created a bespoke deal working with the EU. One that will enable our scientific community and businesses to have access to the world’s largest research collaboration programme, but also it gives us value for money for the taxpayer.”
“For instance, we’re not paying for the years that we didn’t associate, there’s also a claw back mechanism so if there was a situation where we weren’t getting as much out of it as we were putting into it that could automatically kick in.”
She added: “The really good thing as well as we’ve managed to achieve in there that we have an over performance indicator. So it means if we over perform, we’re not penalised.”
But Donelan was quick to dispel rumours that the move was a “mission to creep back into the EU”.
She added: “This is fantastic news, not just for British scientists and researchers but also the British taxpayer.
“What we’re announcing today is a great deal, a deal that many said we won’t be able to get.”
The news is no doubt a triumph to Rishi Sunak who continues to face mounting pressure over the safety of crumbling schools and the resignation of former Tory whip Chris Pincher.
But not everyone was quick to pop the champagne, with criticism of the prime minister flooding social media platform ‘X’. Here’s a pick of the best reactions:
Related: What is Horizon Europe and why has the UK rejoined?