Students across the Uk who are looking to study abroad are facing uncertainty as the UK withdraws from the Erasmus programme.
Erasmus is an EU funded programme that organises student exchanges. It offers grants and funding, as well as application support to students studying abroad. However, as part of the Brexit deal, the UK will no longer be participating in this scheme.
Savira Sharku, a student of Spanish and History at the University of Leeds said that the withdrawal has “created a lot of uncertainty” with regards to the compulsory year abroad that goes along with her degree, along with thousands of other students. She said: “It’s quite uncertain as to how the whole year abroad will happen and what partnerships there will be and also how we’re able to fund our year abroad”.
In 2017, 16,561 students participated in Erasmus, making use of the funding and support available to them.
The government is planning to replicate the scheme with a national programme. However, a report from the House of Lords EU Committee has warned that the benefits of Erasmus would be very hard to replicate.
If the UK decides to participate again in the scheme, the opportunity may not be available until 2027 as the Erasmus programme runs in cycles of 7 years, the latest one starting at the beginning of this year.
Universities UK guidance is that “staff and students can complete mobility periods and receive funding up until the end of the 2021-22 academic year”. Meaning that some students will still be able to benefit from the programme.

The Bank of England has kept its interest rate on hold at 0.75% after declaring that economic growth in the U.K has been stronger than anticipated.

This development comes after the world economy has stabalised, as the financial uncertainties concearning Brexit have eased.

However, the economy remains Brexit dependent, as The Bank are reluctant to move interest rates until it is clearer to which direction Brexit will head, and say that stock-pilling has been giving the economy a short term boost.

The strenghtening of the global economy will have a more important effect.

At the moment, the bank are putting off increasing interest rates, and are only expecting just one rise in interest rates by 2021.

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Theresa May sets seven-day deadline for Brexit deal with labour, a government source said the talks which have been ongoing since early April. As it is needed to be brought to conclusion one way or another by the middle of next week. Labour insiders have insisted they knew nothing about the deadlines set by Downing Street. 

Theresa May has warned Labour that she will only give it one more week before pulling the plug on cross-party talks aimed at finding a new Brexit deal. 

Foreign secutary Jeremy Hunt has warned Theresa May against agreeing a Brexit deal with Labour that involves a customs Union with EU. He also stated that such an agreement may result in even fewer Tory MPs backing a deal in Parliament. With the Labour party due to issue a new statment about its position on Brexit and a second referendum.