Oral Answers to Questions

Hamish Falconer Excerpts

Tuesday 27th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) (Lab)]

T2. Ten years on from the EU referendum, we are still seeing the negative impacts of Brexit. It has hindered trade, stunted growth and deprived young people of opportunity. I am grateful for the Prime Minister’s honesty with the public about that. With all that in mind, can the Minister please tell us what work is being done with our EU counterparts to improve ties with the EU, so that our economy and our young people can benefit?

[The Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations (Mr Hamish Falconer)]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the important question. I would like to inform the House that the UK will reassociate with Erasmus+ from 1 January 2027. Applications open this November, and they are not simply for undergraduates and other university students, but for educational institutions of all kinds. I encourage right hon. and hon. Members across the House to work with the British Council and get their institutions engaged. That is one of the concrete ways that we will help young people through closer a relationship with the EU.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Foreign Secretary.

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[Susan Murray (Mid Dunbartonshire) (LD)]

T6. Canada is now part of the EU’s €150 billion fund to rearm Europe while British firms are stuck on third country terms. Will the Minister prioritise joining that fund as part of a wider growth and defence partnership so that British firms can compete on equal terms with European firms?

[Mr Falconer]

I am pleased to confirm that talks about our security and defence co-operation with the EU will be an important part of the summit that the Foreign Secretary mentioned in his earlier answer. I think that the hon. Lady is referring to SAFE—Security Action for Europe. It was a shame that the UK was not part of it, but we are continuing our discussions with the EU to ensure that we can play our full role in Europe.

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[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Firms such as Thales in Templecombe, Needles and Pins Aerospace in Somerton and Leonardo in Yeovil are at the heart of a Somerset aerospace and advanced engineering sector, yet Britain remains outside the SAFE defence fund. Will the Minister commit to securing UK participation in SAFE and any successor fund on fair terms so that our defence firms and the communities that depend on them are not left behind?

[Mr Falconer]

I represent the great city of Lincoln, which also has an aerospace background. We are making important progress in our relationship with many of our European friends, including, notably, with the Italians, on the Global Combat Air Programme. As I said in my earlier answer, we will discuss security and defence co-operation as part of the summit on 20 November.

[Sureena Brackenridge (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab)]

As online abuse such as the sharing of intimate images without consent increasingly crosses borders, what are the Government doing with international partners and technology companies to protect women and girls, and ensure that criminals cannot exploit differences in countries’ laws to escape justice?