Sadiq Khan has pledged to “reopen the door for young people from across Europe” by having the UK rejoin the EU Erasmus programme.
The London mayor signed a petition launched on Monday by the UK branch of the European Movement, which has attracted over 8,000 signatures so far and has a target of 20,000. It said the move would be a vital step to retaining Britain’s standing in the world and upholding the world renown of its universities.
Mr Khan said: “We have seen the damage done by the Government’s hard Brexit right across our city, including to our world-class educational institutions with students from across Europe no longer able to choose London to study abroad and vice versa. That’s why I’m supporting the campaign to re-join the Erasmus+ programme.
“The UK may no longer be part of the EU but London is, and always will be, a European city and by re-joining the programme we can reopen the door for young people from across Europe to once again choose our city as we work to build a better London for everyone.”
Erasmus+ is the European Union's programme offering opportunities for EU students to receive education and training in Europe. Its approximate budget of €26.2 billion (roughly £22.5 billion) is nearly double the funding compared with its predecessor programme, which piloted in 2014 and ended in 2020.
