Rejoining Erasmus Is Another Step in Labour’s Brexit Betrayal
British Students - this is not about you
The government has announced plans for the UK to rejoin the Erasmus Programme, allowing British students to study, train, or gain work experience across the European Union.
On the surface, this is being sold as an opportunity for young people. In reality, it is something far more political — the next step in Labour’s slow, deliberate attempt to reverse Brexit by stealth.
Erasmus Is About Politics, Not Opportunity
Labour has been explicit about its desire to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the EU. Rejoining Erasmus fits perfectly into that wider agenda: pulling Britain back into the institutional and legal orbit of Brussels.
Let’s be clear: Erasmus is freedom of movement in all but name.
When the UK previously participated, the scheme was profoundly unbalanced. Far more EU students came to study in Britain than British students went the other way. The result was higher costs for the UK, more pressure on British universities and housing, and little evidence of reciprocal benefit.
This is not an educational programme being revived out of necessity — it is a political signal. Labour wants to show Brussels that Britain is once again “open for alignment”.
An £8 Billion Price Tag for Going Backwards
The financial cost of rejoining Erasmus is eye-watering.
The scheme was initially touted at £570 million per year, but that figure bears little resemblance to reality. When combined with additional costs of joining EU programmes post-Brexit, Britain could be forced to pay £1.25 billion a year between 2028 and 2034 — a total bill of around £8 billion.
To put that into context, this is four times the £2 billion demand previously rejected by Boris Johnson during Brexit negotiations as being far too expensive.
Worse still, Britain attempted to negotiate a 50% reduction in costs. Brussels rejected it outright. Once again, this Labour government has failed to secure a good deal — yet pressed ahead regardless.
What Happens to the Turing Programme?
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this decision is what it means for the UK’s own post-Brexit alternative: the Turing Programme.
Turing has been a genuine success story:
50–60% of participants came from disadvantaged backgrounds
Much higher participation from vocational, apprenticeship, and school students
Around 40,000 outward placements for British students in 2024/25
Compared to just 10–15,000 per year under Erasmus
Erasmus, by contrast, is heavily biased towards traditional university students and benefits those who are already academically and financially advantaged.
Yet the government has given no clarity on whether Turing will be scrapped, diluted, or sidelined to fund Erasmus. That silence speaks volumes.
If Turing is sacrificed to pay Brussels, it will be disadvantaged British young people who pay the price.
Labour’s Priorities Are Clear — And They’re Not British Students
This decision follows a familiar pattern:
Pay more to the EU
Accept worse terms
Undermine successful British alternatives
And present it all as “progress”
Once again, Labour appears more concerned with appeasing Brussels than protecting opportunities for British students — especially those from working-class backgrounds.
Reform UK believes in international exchange, opportunity, and learning. But those goals must be delivered on British terms, through schemes that work for Britain — not as part of a creeping attempt to unravel the democratic decision made in 2016.
Rejoining Erasmus is not a neutral policy choice. It is a political statement.
And it tells us everything we need to know about where this government wants to take the country next.