Recommendation 84

Unlike the EU Horizon Programme, the UK decided not to participate in Erasmus+ following the end of the UK-EU Transition Period. The Government said this was because Erasmus+ was “extremely expensive”.199 This was despite the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, telling the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union on 17 December 2020, seven days before the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was reached, that UK participation in Erasmus+ was intended to be included within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.200 This was in addition to the Chancellor telling the same Committee in March 2020 that, although he had some value for money and social mobility reservations, it was “certainly the case that, on current trajectories, if we can carry on being part of Erasmus we do see benefits in that.”201 Launch of the Turing Scheme