PM ‘prepared to pay’ for access to nuclear agency

Britain is prepared to pay for access to the European nuclear organisation Euratom after Brexit, provided the country gets “a suitable level of influence” within it, Theresa May said.

The prime minister said maintaining “a deep science partnership” with the EU after the UK leaves in 2019 was in the interest of both Britain and the trading bloc.

Speaking at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, she said she was willing to discuss a deal with the EU as soon as possible over access to the agency, which Britain has been a member of since 1973.

She also signalled that current immigration rules for foreign students at British universities would remain in place post Brexit, saying the UK “will always be open to the brightest and the best researchers”.

Mrs May said: “The United Kingdom would like the option to fully associate ourselves with the excellence-based European science and innovation programme, including the successor to Horizon 2020 and Euratom R&T.

“Of course such as association would involve an appropriate UK financial contribution, which we would willingly make. In return we would look to maintain a suitable level of influence.”

Withdrawal from Euratom was announced in notes accompanying the bill to trigger Article 50 in January 2017.

At the time, broadcaster and physicist Brian Cox condemned a decision as “parochial idiocy”.