Lord Forsyth of Drumlean
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Erasmus Programme
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean Excerpts(9 months, 1 week ago)
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Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)
The Erasmus scheme may well have been a major advantage, but we had to leave that scheme at the point at which we left the EU in 2020.
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)
My Lords, did I imagine it or, when the Labour Party was in opposition, did we not hear endless questions condemning the previous Government for not joining Erasmus? What has brought about this change of mind? Has the penny finally dropped that, as the Minister answering the previous Question said, it is better to take back control?
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)
As I have just said, there were considerable benefits to being part of the Erasmus scheme, but of course the UK ceased to participate in Erasmus as a programme country after leaving the EU on 31 January 2020—a decision for which this Government were not responsible, but we need to clear up the mess.