The UK government has begun what may be its final effort to resolve a dispute over the UK's membership of the EU's €100bn Horizon research programme.

Universities UK (UUK), a group of 140 universities which previously described the loss of Horizon membership as “political self-harm”.

The European Union (EU) has confirmed it is holding back the UK’s access to the £81bn ‘Horizon Europe’ programme as a response to Boris Johnson’s plans to tear up the Northern Ireland protocol.

The Russell Group calls on Boris Johnson to provide certainty to staff to prevent exodus. / Thousands of EU academics left their posts at Britain’s most prestigious universities in the year after the Brexit vote – an 11 per cent rise on the year before, analysis shows.

“I am really uncertain about what will happen,” said one language student who is unsure whether her year abroad will go ahead.

Universities say vital projects are ‘days from stalling’ as EU grants could be lost.