Lisa Nandy Defends £570 Million Erasmus Return as Remembrance Sunday Link Triggers Backlash
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 8
Lisa Nandy Defends £570 Million Erasmus Return as Remembrance Sunday Link Triggers Backlash
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 8
Summary
Lisa Nandy said she was "horrified" by criticism of her Remembrance Sunday remarks, rejecting claims she politicised the day by tying wartime sacrifice to Britain’s return to Erasmus+ in January.
The row followed a government statement saying remembrance should be honored through "closeness and collaboration with our allies," with Nandy arguing the scheme helps young Britons understand the generation that fought across Europe.
Conservatives, Reform UK and veterans’ representatives called the comparison tone-deaf, with Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake demanding an apology and Nigel Farage branding Erasmus a costly alternative to the Turing scheme.
The UK will pay £570 million to rejoin the expanded program, which ministers say is a 30% discount and will offer year-abroad placements, youth exchanges and free train passes for 18-year-olds; applications open later this month.
The dispute lands as Labour pushes a broader reset with the EU before a 20 November summit, while Nandy says Brexit’s promised gains have largely failed to materialize.