Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has rejected accusations that she politicised Remembrance Sunday by linking it to the United Kingdom's return to the European Union's Erasmus scheme, the BBC reported. Her department announced on Saturday night that "as we mark Remembrance Sunday, Erasmus+ will give a new generation the chance to build connections across Europe." Conservatives said "veterans did not fight for a student exchange scheme" and accused her of an "EU membership pitch." Nandy said she was "horrified" by that response and insisted the expanded study-and-work scheme would help young Britons recognise wartime sacrifice. The UK is rejoining in January, six years after leaving as part of the Brexit deal.
In the department's press release, Nandy said: "As we remember the immense courage of those who served our country, we honour them by building the best opportunities for the next generation through closeness and collaboration with our allies." Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake called the comments "tone deaf and frankly shameful" and demanded an apology. He said the bonds veterans forged "run far deeper" than Erasmus, and that Remembrance Sunday was "not a day for a Labour minister to try to make an EU membership pitch." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also criticised the timing. A veterans' organisation executive told the Telegraph that people should "just honour the fallen" rather than discuss "party political matters."
On the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Nandy stood by her remarks. She cited Winston Churchill after the Second World War talking about extending the hand of friendship across Europe. After Brexit, she said, "we closed off opportunities for young people from this country to understand not just the impact that generation made here in the UK, but the way in which they went off and fought for the freedom of people across Europe." She denied choosing Remembrance Sunday to "promote a deal with the EU." "There was a time where that wouldn't have even raised an eyebrow as somehow political, it was just common sense — and it is common sense," she said.
The UK is paying £570 million to join the expanded Erasmus+ scheme, which the government called a 30% discount. It will include free year-abroad placements and cultural exchanges, and the government said free train passes would be available for 18-year-olds visiting EU countries. The verified dispute is over the timing and framing of an already announced policy, not over whether the scheme itself is going ahead in January.