The hardline Reform council leader who loved Erasmus

In a November 2016 article headlined ‘How might Scottish universities change outside the EU?’, the BBC News website examined what impact Brexit may have on opportunities for students north of the border.

One concerned student they talked to was Ronnie Woodward, an engineering student from Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, who was studying at Strathclyde University but had just spent a year in Sweden. “He believes he benefited hugely – both personally and academically,” said the story.

“I’ve experienced so many different cultures, I’ve got so many international friends,” said the student of his time in Europe. “Even just two weeks ago I had French mates over who I met through Erasmus. It’s different as well seeing a different style of teaching.”

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Others disagree – not least Reform UK, which has described the Erasmus scheme as an unnecessary “cash drain” and an unwanted tie to European institutions, and has staunchly opposed Britain rejoining the EU’s Erasmus+ programme in 2027 under Keir Starmer’s Brexit reset strategy.

Perhaps this is the reason why Erasmus enthusiast Ronnie Woodward dropped his first name and started going by his middle one – George – before embarking on his new career as a Reform politician, culminating in his appointment as leader of St Helens Council on Merseyside earlier this year?

George Woodward, as he is now called, is carving out a name for himself as one of the party’s more hardline local government leaders, withdrawing support and funding for planned Refugee Week events in the town, doing the same for LGBT Pride events and demanding the removal of any references to Pride events in local libraries.

“We don’t consider celebrations of sexuality, especially those with left wing political leanings such as Pride, to be appropriate for the council to dedicate valuable officer resources,” he has sniffed.

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Woodward has now told the Liverpool Echo how his experiences do not run counter to his party’s hardline anti-European stance, explaining: “I made great friends there and would definitely recommend it to any student. Luckily, foreign exchange experiences aren’t limited to, or contingent on, being members of the EU.

“This is evidenced by students from hundreds of countries around the world partaking in various forms of exchange outwith [sic] the EU.” (There are 193 member states in the United Nations and a large number of these do not offer any form of student exchange scheme.)

And as for his sudden change of name, which happily will make his previous support for EU schemes ungoogleable? It is “rather common” for politicians to use their middle name as a first name, he told the Echo.

Meanwhile, are you one of Woodward’s “many international friends”? Do get in contact!