THE UK Government must ensure Glasgow students can continue to study abroad after Brexit, universities say.

Tory MPs voted down an amendment to the withdrawal agreement bill which would have required the government to seek continued participation in Erasmus+, an EU programme which allows students to learn at universities abroad.

Glasgow universities say leaving the scheme would be “hugely detrimental” to students, who “really value the opportunities”.

And Glasgow’s economic strategy, for 2016 to 2023, drawn up by the city council and chamber of commerce, states “any diminution of Scotland’s engagement” in Erasmus will “impact negatively on the higher education sector”.

Despite the vote, the Department for Education insists the government is “committed” to continuing academic relationship between the UK and the EU, including through Erasmus “if it is in our interests to do so”.

Tory MP Chris Skidmore, the universities minister, said the amendment was “game playing” by opposition MPs. “We remain open to participation and this will be part of future negotiations with the EU.”

Applications for Erasmus in 2020 are not affected by the vote. The next Erasmus programme runs from 2021 to 2027.

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Rachel Sandison, vice principal external relations at the University of Glasgow, said the rejected amendment “does not necessarily mean that the UK Government will not continue to associate itself to this programme”.

“Negotiations on access to the Erasmus programme cannot start until the content and budget for Erasmus have been finalised in Brussels – some months away.

“The University of Glasgow – alongside other universities – will continue to lobby the Government for continued participation in Erasmus. Our students have benefited enormously.

“If we were no longer to participate in Erasmus it would be hugely detrimental to our students who would lose a valuable and in-demand opportunity.”

The university is urging the Government to negotiate continued participation or “establish a new national scheme to support our international agenda and provide funded student mobility opportunities”.

A Universities Scotland spokesperson said: “We are pleased the universities minister has confirmed the government is still open to participation.

“Universities and our students really value the opportunities that Erasmus offers.”

They said the country’s economy benefits “as graduates bring back wider cultural awareness, global skills and networks to local businesses”.

“The Erasmus scheme is set to expand further this decade which presents a whole host of opportunities for member countries,” the spokesperson added. “We do not want Scots to miss out on this.

“The UK Government must commit to continued study abroad funding, either through full association to the Erasmus programme or through a national replacement scheme.”

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Over 2500 people at Scottish universities worked or studied abroad through Erasmus in 2016/17.

The Department for Education spokesperson said: “As we enter negotiations with the EU, we want to ensure that UK and European students can continue to benefit from each other’s world-leading education systems.”