UK students will continue to pay their standard domestic fees - which are capped at £9,535 a year - when they are abroad, under the new deal to rejoin the Erasmus programme

Starmer has declared Britain’s “need to get closer” to the EU bloc, and, as talks continue about a “reset” deal on food exports, energy markets and a youth mobility scheme, “the breakthrough on Erasmus will help” him “demonstrate progress”, said The Guardian ’s Pippa Crerar.

Downing Street sources claim the agreement, hammered out after months of negotiations, marks the first tangible success in Starmer's promised "reset".

In the Erasmus programme’s previous guise, fewer UK students went abroad compared with the numbers coming in. But it was still hugely popular among young people in Britain and an entire generation since it ended in 2021 have been deprived of the experience. Its return will go down well with younger voters.

Well, as it stands, the answer is that there is less to all this than meets the eye. At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Starmer reaffirmed his commitment to the fundamental architecture of the Brexit deal, saying that staying out of the single market and the customs union remain "clear red lines".

In a surprising twist, Britain is set to reverse its relationship with Europe by rejoining a major programme, sparking excitement and debate.

Britain on Monday said it had finalised a free trade deal with South Korea after two years of talks to upgrade their post-Brexit trading relationship, secure preferential market access, and lock in lower tariffs for longer.