Lisa Nandy has rejected claims she disrespected veterans after a DCMS press release last night said she “believes that we owe it to our brave veterans to repair these relationships with our friends in Europe” by rejoining the Erasmus Plus scheme. To which Tory Chairman Kevin Hollinrake said “Our veterans’ sacrifice is not a prop for Labour’s EU agenda. Suggesting that Brexit broke the bonds they helped forge – and that Erasmus will fix them – is outrageous…”
This morning Nandy pushed back, saying on Sky News:
“I strongly, strongly disagree and it’s Remembrance Sunday. It’s not a time for politicking. And I’m actually kind of quite horrified that the chairman of the Conservative Party has chosen to do that.
“They are the only party that is talking about Brexit and the European Union today. What we are announcing this weekend is that we’re going to widen the Erasmus scheme.”
Only Labour could bungle a Remembrance Sunday message by turning it into an advert for rejoining Brussels’ student exchange scheme, and then accuse the Tories of being the ones bringing up Europe…
Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked John Healey: “Just finally, I mean Andy Burnham has been very clear he wants Britain back in the European Union in his lifetime. Do you?”
The Chancellor replied: “I’m older than Andy Burnham. I don’t expect to see that.”