Nandy rejects claims she politicised Remembrance Sunday with Erasmus announcement

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has rejected accusations that she politicised Remembrance Sunday by linking it to the UK's return to the Erasmus+ scheme, the EU's programme offering study placements and cultural exchanges abroad.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced on Saturday night that Erasmus+ would give a new generation the chance to build connections across Europe as Remembrance Sunday was marked. The UK is rejoining the scheme in January, six years after leaving it as part of the Brexit deal.

The government said the UK is paying £570m to join the expanded scheme, and described this as a 30% discount. The expanded programme will include free year-abroad placements for UK university students and their European peers, as well as cultural exchanges. The government also said 18-year-olds would be able to receive free train passes to visit EU countries, either alone or with up to five friends. Applications for Erasmus+ will open later this month.

The announcement drew strong criticism. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake described Nandy's comments as "tone deaf and frankly shameful" and called on her to apologise. The Conservatives said veterans did not fight for a student exchange scheme, and accused Nandy of making a pitch for EU membership.

Nandy said she was "horrified" by the Conservative response. When asked about the row on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, she stood by her remarks.

Reform leader Nigel Farage said it was "very, very poor taste" for Nandy to use Remembrance Sunday to announce the Erasmus decision. He also described Erasmus as "terrible" and "wildly expensive" compared with the Turing Scheme, which was introduced in 2021.

A report in The Sun said veterans and MPs had expressed fury over the timing of the announcement.