Video shows how Labour DID pledge to wipe out student debt
LABOUR’S chaos over student loans policy deepened yesterday when a recording emerged of a Labour MP pledging “every existing student will have all their debts wiped off” if the party won the general election.
Shadow justice minister Imran Hussain made the claim in a campaign video released during the run-up to last month’s vote.
The film is being seen as a blow to Jeremy Corbyn’s claims the party did not pledge to write off all student debt if he became prime minister.
Labour has faced accusations of trying to lure younger voters with a pledge that could cost the Treasury more than £100billion to deliver.
At the weekend, hard-Left leader Mr Corbyn claimed he had been “unaware” of the cost.
He also insisted his promise to “deal with” debt did not amount to a commitment to cancel it.
But the party’s policy seemed to be unravelling as the video of the Bradford East MP emerged.
In the film, in which he talks to schoolchildren, Mr Hussain said: “Just this morning Jeremy Corbyn has announced the tuition fees will be abolished straight away from September if there’s a Labour government, and that we will bring back immediately EMA (education maintenance allowance) and that every existing student will have all their debts wiped off.”
Shadow public health minister Sharon Hodgson last month also seemed to suggest Labour could scrap existing student debts.
“Jeremy Corbyn: Labour could write off historic student debts. All those in early 20s with student debt #VoteLabour,” she wrote on Twitter on June 2.
Tory Schools Minister Nick Gibb said last night: “Day by day Labour’s top team are being found out for their betrayal over
student debt. It is becoming abundantly clear that Labour’s election pledges were pure fantasy and they cannot be trusted to keep their promises.
“Will they now step forward and apologise?”
Mr Corbyn’s team yesterday said the party never promised to write off student debt. A source said: “Imran was mistaken. That was not our policy.”
The row erupted over remarks Mr Corbyn made to the music magazine NME during the campaign. Asked about student debt, he told the magazine: “I’m looking at ways we could reduce that, ameliorate that, lengthen the period of paying it off, or some other means of reducing the debt burden.
“I don’t see why those that had the historical misfortune to be at university during the £9,000 period should be burdened excessively compared to those that went before or those that come after. I will deal with it.”
A party spokesman said: “Labour’s manifesto pledged to scrap tuition fees from 2018 and write off the first year of fees for students starting university this September, so that no one is priced out of getting a degree.”