As evidence of Brexit’s disastrous impact becomes increasingly undeniable, it seems the winds of change are blowing through the UK’s relationship with the European Union.
From formerly pro-Brexit newspapers denouncing it, to the prime minister explicitly mentioning the B-word and the damage it’s done, the rhetoric is changing.
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And now, the UK is just weeks away from hopefully rejoining the EU’s Erasmus scheme, as part of efforts to pursue closer relations with Brussels.
The Guardian reports that negotiators are aiming to finalises a deal in January that would see the UK participate once again in the EU’s flagship student mobility programme from 2027 onwards.
The UK quit the Erasmus programme in 2020, with then-prime minister Boris Johnson saying it didn’t offer good value for money.
It was replaced by the UK government’s Turing Scheme, which encountered a number of issues around funding.
But as part of Labour’s efforts to fix relations with the EU, the government agreed to reopen negotiations on Erasmus at the UK-EU summit last May.
Rejoining the scheme is a key demand from EU capitals as part of the “reset” between the two sides, and the Guardian reports that a quick agreement on this would help the UK signal it is ready to make progress in negotiations.
This comes just days after talks over defence collapsed.
In September 2024, British universities called on Keir Starmer’s government to rejoin the Erasmus programme, through which some 15,000 British students a year studied in a EU university before Brexit.