Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of post-Brexit relations with the EU, has defended the £570m cost of rejoining the Erasmus scheme, arguing the money will effectively return to the UK. He noted that a 30% discount has been agreed for UK participation, and a review will take place after 10 months to assess uptake.
Thomas-Symonds stated that the funding ensures students and young people across the UK benefit from the scheme. The UK has finalised its agreement to rejoin Erasmus, allowing young people to study or gain work experience in the EU for the first time since Brexit.
In other news, the UK has issued a final warning to Roman Abramovich to release £2.5bn from the sale of Chelsea FC to Ukraine within 90 days or face court action. Meanwhile, Unison, the UK's largest trade union, has elected a left-wing general secretary expelled from Labour three years ago, potentially clashing with the party leadership.
The Conservatives criticised the local government settlement as biased towards Labour-voting areas, while Reform UK claimed it neglects rural communities. Six councils with historically low bills—Wandsworth, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, and Windsor and Maidenhead—will be allowed to raise council tax without cap for two years.
