The £570m cost of rejoining the EU’s Erasmus scheme could be better spent on transport upgrades according to Conservatives on the London Assembly, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan was accused of choosing “short-term vibes” over a “better long-term future for Londoners” as he doubled down on his support for the UK rejoining the EU’s Erasmus foreign exchange scheme.

Young people across the UK will be able to study or gain work experience across the continent for the first time since 2020, when the exchange programme was excluded from the country’s post-Brexit deal.

Following the announcement earlier this month, Khan said it was “something I have long campaigned for and is a huge win for London and our young people”.

But the mayor was quizzed in City Hall last week as to whether the £570million deal was the best use of public funds – which could have, in theory, funded crucial infrastructure projects in the capital.

“It’s a great opportunity for those young people who go on it, but it is immensely expensive,” Neil Garratt, a Conservative assembly member, said during Mayor’s Question Time last Thursday (18th).

“I actually think it is quite a nice thing, it’s expensive, and that money could be used for something else. For the cost of one year of the Erasmus scheme, you could replace the Hammersmith Bridge three times over. Which one of those two do you think Londoners would prefer to see happen?”

Garratt also claimed that a year of Erasmus money could fund the proposed West London Orbital train line, the green-lit Docklands Light Rail extension or, in a decade, the fabled Bakerloo Line extension.

“This is about short-term vibes versus building a better long-term future for Londoners,” he concluded.

“You’re not passionate about improving transport infrastructure, you’re passionate about Erasmus. A century from now, people could be enjoying stuff which Labour is not building. You’ve chosen your side as the wrong one.”

Khan, who ardently supported the UK remaining in the EU prior to the 2016 referendum, said rejoining the scheme provides “huge opportunities to young Londoners, supports London businesses and increases connectivity between London and Europe”.

The mayor added: “People who previously were Erasmusists are now not just leaders of European countries and British countries, but chief executives, involved in venture capital, involved in leading businesses.

“From 2027, there’ll be a new generation of British young people, not just Londoners, and also European young people coming to our country, learning from each other, helping fill the gaps in their lives.”

He also noted that responsibility for Hammersmith Bridge isn’t with the Greater London Authority (GLA), but with the local council.

In the run up to last year’s mayoral election, Khan pledged to create a new version of the Erasmus scheme for students in London.

The government has said that up to 100,000 people of all ages could benefit in the first year of operation in 2027. In 2018/19, more than 8,000 UK trainees and just under 10,000 university students used Erasmus.

The £570m – which includes a 30% discount negotiated with the EU – will come from the Treasury.

Last month the chancellor announced that the government would part-fund the DLR extension to Thamesmead but did not indicate any support for the West London Orbital or Bakerloo Line extension.

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