Sir Keir Starmer has broken yet another pledge as Labour push a tuition fee hike after the Prime Minister voiced support for “abolishing” university costs.
University fees will rise for the first time in eight years as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson looks set to announce the increase will be in line with Retail Price Index inflation.
The fee rise is expected to come into force in September 2025, meaning it will impact A-level students currently applying to universities.
Tuition fees have been frozen at £9,250 since 2017.
Starmer breaks yet another pledge as tuition fees rise after PM voiced support for ‘abolishing’ uni costs
PA
It remains unclear which month’s inflation figure Labour will choose to connect fees to.
However, matching university rates to the current rate of 2.7 per cent would see fees soar to around £9,500 from next year.
Labour had been tipped to introduce a steeper rise, with reports suggesting costs hitting £10,500 over the next five years.
David Cameron’s Coalition Government tripled tuition fees to £9,000 in 2012 in what was a hammer blow for Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats.
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Fees witnessed another increase to £9,250 in 2017.
However, the imminent rise in tuition fees comes just four years after the Prime Minister voiced support for abolishing the costs altogether.
Starmer, who was then running to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, said: “Support the abolition of tuition fees and invest in lifelong learning.”
However, the Prime Minister said he abandoned his pledge to prioritise tackling NHS waiting lists in May.
During the 2024 General Election campaign, the Prime Minister said: “Looking at the costing for tuition fees or abolishing them, looking at the money we need to put into the NHS, I’ve taken the decision that we can’t do both. That’s a difficult decision, I’ll accept that.”
He added: “Since then [2020], there’s been huge damage to the economy and as we’ve got towards the election we’ve had to make difficult choices.”
Labour could count on the support of a plurality of young people in the 2024 General Election.
Two in five 18 to 24-year-olds voted Labour on July 4, YouGov’s How Britain Voted poll has revealed.
Around 18 per cent sided with the Green Party, with 16 per cent supporting the Liberal Democrats, nine per cent backing Reform UK and just eight per cent endorsing a Conservative candidate.
