This was the Tory statement on Erasmus from the Guardian blog
Tories claim rejoining Erasmus is sign of 'pro-EU ideology' and accuse Labour of 'worrying disregard' for Brexit vote
The Conservative party has now issued a response to the news that the UK is rejoining the Erasmus scheme. In a statement Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said:
The UK re-joining Erasmus was a big Brussels demand, and Keir Starmer has seemingly caved in to the EU without getting anything in return for our £500m – just like he did over our fishing rights.
The Erasmus scheme is drastically more expensive than the Turing Scheme introduced after Brexit, which benefited more British people. Turing was a global programme rather than a scheme based on a blank cheque for Brussels. Scrapping it in favour of Erasmus poses serious questions about whether this government is really focused on opportunities for young Brits, or instead on re-entangling Britain with EU programmes at any price.
Rejoining Erasmus, reopening costly energy integration, and edging back into EU regulatory frameworks looks less like pragmatism and more like pro-EU ideology. The British people voted in 2016 to take back control, and Labour’s approach shows a worrying disregard for that democratic decision.