'Good news for science': EU chief says Brexit deal means UK can join Horizon

Sign up for our free email at Brexit and beyond for the latest headlines on what Brexit means for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest newsPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI want to be notified by email about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal with the EU has been hailed as "good news" for scientists, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, revealed that she wanted to ratify the UK's membership of the Horizon programme.

Britain's membership of the £80billion continent-wide research program has been on hold since Brexit, with Tory ministers promising to go it alone and implement place an independent programme.

But Ms Von der Leyen said the agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol announced today would mean that she would start work on a deal to join the Kingdom "immediately" after its implementation.

"This agreement is good news for scientists and researchers, in the European Union and the United Kingdom", said the president of the Commission at the press conference in Windsor.

"Because the moment we have reached this agreement - at the moment it is an agreement in principle - once it is implemented , I am happy to start work immediately on an association agreement, the precondition for joining Horizon Europe."

Boris Johnson's Brexit deal was intended to keep the UK in Horizon, but his plans to tear up the protocol unilaterally stalled the talks.

Over time last six-year period of the Horizon programme, ending in 2020, the UK has received £1.5bn - more than any other country and a fifth of the total distributed by Brussels.

Earlier this month, the Campaign for Science and Engineering Group (CASE) claimed that £1.6billion of the Tory Government's pledged research funding had returned to the Treasury.

Mr. Sunak hailed the 'historic' Windsor Framework Agreement reached on Monday, saying there were now a range of 'difficult areas' to work on with the EU - citing Russian sanctions, energy security, climate change and illegal migration.

No 10 hopes a post-Brexit deal can strike deals with France and other EU countries on the rise of small boat crossings in the Channel, Mr Sunak is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron next month.

Campaign group Best for Britain said it was "extremely welcome news that negotiations can open for the UK back to Horizon".

The Prime Minister has said UK goods destined for NI will take a new "green lane" in which customs bureaucracy will be cut, with a red lane for goods destined for ...