EU MEP in dig at Boris Johnson says Brexit Britain will be ‘back inside the European family’ in decades

In a speech to MEPs, Verhofstadt said: “The last remark that I want to make is a request to Michel Barnier and to the negotiating team, that is to do something on Erasmus.

“I know the cherry-picking attitude from the Brits, which is in fact devastating [sic] for Erasmus.

“Let’s take a unilateral measure towards the students in Britain that they can continue unilaterally, to make use of Erasmus.

“It’s a pro-European generation, this young generation, and it’s this generation who will bring back the UK inside the European family in the next decades.”

MORE: EU politician drops hint Brexit deal could happen ‘at the end’ of December

Verhofstadt in November predicted that a post-Brexit Britain would one day seek to rejoin the EU.

The Belgian MEP tweeted a graph showing positive British views of the EU reaching an all-time high, writing: “As I have always said, one day a politician will bring Britain back home to where it belongs – at the centre of our common European destiny!”

Responding to the MEP’s plea, David Head posted: “This will come about, though I hope sooner rather than later. Counting on younger Britons to put the UK back on track by getting us back into the EU.”

One user wrote: “So proud if you can do this for UK youngsters – this will show Europe’s faith in them, they will return and they will be proud to be European. We will be back – too late for me unfortunately – but forever European #IAmEuropean.”

Another added: “This proposal represents everything that is good and honourable in the European movement… we will be back as stronger, even more committed Europeans in a few short years.”

A pensioner by the name of Mark tweeted: “I’m not sure it will be in my lifetime, but we’ll be back at the heart of Europe someday. And I’ll support that movement every inch of the way.”