Kemi Badenoch's new Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott questions Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson about Labour's decision to increase tuition fees.
Ms Trott said in the House of Commons:
Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. And can I thank the secretary of state for advanced sight of her statement? Madam Deputy Speaker, we had a budget last week which declared war on business, private sector workers, and farmers, as we've just been hearing. It seems today that the Secretary of State wants to add students to that list. Not content with pushing up the cost of living for everyone with an inflationary budget and pushing down wages with a National Insurance increase, we are now in a situation whereby students will suffer from the first inflationary increase in a number of years at a time when students can least afford it.
And, Madam Deputy Speaker, yet again, there was no sign of this in the Labour manifesto. Indeed, the prime minister made scrapping university tuition fees a centerpiece of his leadership campaign back in just 2020. Madam Deputy Speaker, perhaps we should start putting sell by dates on statements the prime minister makes.
But it is not just the prime minister. In July this year, at the time of the King's speech, the secretary of state said that she had no plans to increase tuition fees. And yesterday, the chancellor said that there was no need to increase taxes further. Yet, what is happening today, Madam Deputy Speaker, apart from a hike in the effective tax graduates have to pay?
Madam Deputy Speaker, students haven't had a chance to prepare for this rise. They would have fairly expected, based on all the statements above, that the last thing a Labour government would do in office is put up tuition fees. We have some of the best universities in the world here in the UK, but there is much more that we need to do to reform the system to make it better and fairer for students and universities. Making sure courses will provide students with an economic return, helping universities harness the growth potential of innovations that they foster, and ensuring students and lecturers are free to express their views and debate.
We'll be willing to work with the government on all these things. It's also right that we look at university funding. So can I ask the right honourable lady, how much of this increase will be absorbed by the National Insurance increase for employees at university? Is it her intention to increase fees every year, or are students to expect this to be the only increase?
What is the impact of this change on public finances? Has the OBR been consulted? Why was this change not announced at the budget?
How much longer will it take the average borrower to repay their tuition fees as a result of this change? And Madam Deputy Speaker, why were Labour not upfront about this in their manifesto? Madam Deputy Speaker, in June 2023, the title of an article written by the now Secretary of State proclaimed, graduates, you will pay less under a Labour government. Well, Madam Deputy Speaker, it turns out you will pay more.
More broken promises.
